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AMATEUR 
GARDENCRAFT 



Gardening Books 
By Eben E, Rex ford 



The Home Garden 

A practical book for the use of those who own 
a small garden in which they would like to grow 
vegetables and small fruits. 

Eight full-page illustrations. \2mo. 198 papes, 
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Four Seasons in the Garden 

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Indoor Gardening 

The information that is given in this book 
was gained by the writer through personal work 
among flowers, and the methods described have 
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Colored frontispiece and 32 iilustraiions. Decorated 
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Amateur Gardencraft 

A book for the home-maker and garden lover. 

Colored frontispiece, 33 illustrations in tint, dec- 
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J. B. Lippincott Company 
Publishers Philadelphia 











AMATEUR 
GARDENCRAFT 

A BOOK FOR THE HOME-MAKER 
AND GARDEN LOVER 

BY 

EBEN E. REXFORD 

II 

WITH 34 ILLUSTRATIONS 






PHILADELPHIA & LONDON 
T B LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 
I9I2 






2t 



A 






COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY J. S. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 



PUBLISHED FEBRUARY, Ipia 



PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 
AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS 
PHILADELPHIA, U.S.A. 



£CI.A305950 




FOREWORD 



HE home that affords the 
most pleasure to its owner is 
the one which is largely the 
result of personal effort in 
the development of its possi- 
bilities. The " ready-made 
home," if I may be allowed 
the expression, may be equally as comfortable, 
from the standpoint of convenience, — and possi- 
bly a great deal more so, — but it invariably lacks 
the charm which invests the place that has de- 
veloped under our own management, by slow and 
easy stages, until it seems to have become part 
of ourselves. 

Home-making is a process of evolution. We 
take up the work when everything connected 
with it is in a more or less chaotic condition, 
probably without any definite plan in mind. The 
initial act in the direction of development, what- 
ever it may be, suggests almost immediately 
something else that can be done to advantage, 
and in this way we go on doing little things from 
day to day, until the time comes when we sud- 

5 




FOREWORD 



denly discover what wonderful things have been 
accomplished by our patient and persistent 
efforts, and we are surprised and delighted at 
the result. Were we to plan it all out before 
beginning it, very likely the undertaking would 
seem so formidable that it would discourage us. 
But the evolutionary process takes place so grad- 
ually, as we work hand in hand with that most 
delightful of all companions. Nature, that work 
becomes play, and we get more enjoyment out 
of it, as it goes along, than it is possible to se- 
cure in any other way if we are lovers of the 
beauty that belongs about the ideal home. The 
man or woman who sees little or nothing to 
admire in tree, or shrub, or flower, can have no 
conception of the pleasure that grows out of 
planting these about the home — our home — and 
watching them develop from tiny plant or seed to 
the fruition of full maturity. The place casts 
off the bareness which characterizes the begin- 
ning of most homes, by almost imperceptible de- 
grees, until it becomes a thing of beauty that 
seems to have been almost a creation of our own, 
because every nook and corner of it is vital with 
the essence of ourselves. Whatever of labor is 
connected with the undertaking is that of love 
which carries with it a most delightful gratifi- 

6 



FOREWORD 



cation as it progresses. In proportion as we 
infuse into it a desire to make the most of any 
and everything that will attract, and please, and 
beautify, we reap the reward of our efforts. 
Happy is the man who can point his friends 
to a lovely home and say — " I have done what 
I could to make it what it is. I have done it — 
not the professional who goes about the country 
making what he calls homes at so much a day, 
or by the job." The home that somebody has 
made for us never appeals to us as does the one 
into which we have put ourselves. Bear that in 
mind, and be wise, O friend of mine, and be your 
own home-maker. 

Few of us could plan out the Home Beautiful, 
at the beginning, if we were to undertake to do 
so. There may be a mind-picture of it as we 
think we would like it to be, but we lack the 
knowledge by which such results as we have in 
mind are to be secured. Therefore we must be 
content to begin in a humble way, and let the 
work we undertake show us what to do next, as it 
progresses. We may never attain to the degree 
of knowledge that would make us successful if 
we were to set ourselves up as professional gar- 
deners, but it doesn't matter much about that, 
since that is not what we have in mind when 

7 



FOREWORD 



we begin the work of home-making. We are 
simply working by slow and easy steps toward 
an ideal which we may never realize, but the 
ideal is constantly before us to urge us on, and 
the home-instinct actuates us in all our efforts 
to make the place in which we live so beautiful 
that it will have for those we love, and those who 
may come after us, a charm that no other place 
on earth will ever have until the time comes when 
they take up the work of home-making for them- 
selves. 

The man or woman who begins the improve- 
ment and the beautifying of the home as a sort 
of recreation, as so many do, will soon feel the 
thrill of the delightful occupation, and be in- 
spired to greater undertakings than he dreamed 
of at the beginning. One of the charms of home- 
making is that it grows upon you, and before 
you are aware of it that which was begun without 
a definite purpose in view becomes so delightfully 
absorbing that you find yourself thinking about 
it in the intervals of other work, and are im- 
patient to get out among " the green things 
growing," and dig, and plant, and prune, and 
train. You feel, I fancy, something of the enthu- 
siasm that Adam must have felt when he looked 
over Eden, and saw what great things were wait- 

8 



FOREWORD 



ing to be done in it. I am quite satisfied he saw 
chances for improvement on every hand. .God 
had placed there the material for the first gar- 
dener to work with, but He had wisely left it for 
the other to do with it what he thought best, when 
actuated by the primal instinct which makes gar- 
deners of so many, if not the most, of us when 
the opportunity to do so comes our way. 

I do not advocate the development of the 
aesthetic features of the home from the stand- 
point of dollars and cents. I urge it because 
I believe it is the duty of the home-owner to make 
it as pleasant as it can well be made, and because 
I believe in the gospel of beauty as much as I 
believe in the gospel of the Bible. It is the re- 
ligion that appeals to the finer instincts, and calls 
out and develops the better impulses of our 
nature. It is the religion that sees back of every 
tree, and shrub, and flower, the God that makes 
all things — ^the God that plans — the God that 
expects us to make the most and the best of all 
the elements of the good and the beautiful which 
He has given into our care. 

In the preparation of this book I have had in 
mind the fact that comparatively few home- 
owners who set about the improvement of the 
home-grounds know what to do, and what to 

9 



FOREWORD 



make use of. For the benefit of such persons I 
have tried to give clear and definite instructions 
that will enable them to work intelligently. I 
have written from personal experience in the 
various phases of gardening upon which I have 
touched in this book. I am quite confident that 
the information given will stand the test of most 
thorough trial. What I have done with the 
various plants I speak of, others can do if they 
set about it in the right way, and with the deter- 
mination of succeeding. The will will find the 
way to success. I would not be understood as 
intending to convey the impression that I con- 
sider my way as the way. By no means. Others 
have accomplished the same results by different 
methods. I simply tell what I have done, and 
how I have done it, and leave it to the home- 
maker to be governed by the results of my experi- 
ence or that of others who have worked toward 
the same end. We may differ in methods, but 
the outcome is, in most instances, the same. I 
have written from the standpoint of the amateur, 
for other amateurs who would make the improve- 
ment of the home-grounds a pleasure and a 
means of relaxation rather than a source of 
profit in a financial sense, believing that what I 
have to say will commend itself to the non-pro- 

10 



FOREWORD 



fessional gardener as sensible, practical, and 
helpful, and strictly in line with the things he 
needs to know when he gets down to actual work. 

I have also tried to make it plain that much 
of which goes to the making of the home is not 
out of reach of the man of humble means — that it 
is possible for the laboring man to have a home 
as truly beautiful in the best sense of the term 
as the man can have who has any amount of 
money to spend — that it is not the money that 
we put into it that counts so much as the love for 
it and the desire to take advantage of every 
chance for improvement. Home, for home's 
sake, is the idea that should govern. Money can 
hire the work done, but it cannot infuse into the 
result the satisfaction that comes to the man who 
is his own home-maker. 

But not every person who reads this book will 
be a home-maker in the sense spoken of above. 
It will come into the hands of those who have 
homes about which improvements have already 
been made by themselves or others, but who take 
delight in the cultivation of shrubs and plants be- 
cause of love for them. Many of these persons 
get a great deal of pleasure out of experiment- 
ing with them. Others do not care to spend time 
in experiments, but would be glad to find a short 

11 



FOREWORD 



cut to success. To such this book will make a 
strong appeal, for I feel confident it will help 
them to achieve success in gardening operations 
that are new to them if they follow the instruc- 
tion to be found in its pages. I have not 
attempted to tell all about gardening, for there 
is much about it that I have yet to learn. I ex- 
pect to keep on learning as long as I live, for 
there is always more and more for us to find out 
about it. That's one of its charms. But I have 
sought to impart the fundamental principles of 
it as I have arrived at a knowledge of them, from 
many years of labor among trees, and shrubs, and 
flowers — a labor of love — and it is with a sincere 
hope that I have not failed in my purpose that 
I give this book to 

The Home-Maker and the Garden-Lover. 



The Author. 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

The Lawn : How to Make It and How to Take Cake 

OF It 17 

Planting the Lawn 34 

Shrubs 49 

Vines 68 

The Hardy Border 81 

The Garden of Annuals 97 

The Bulb Garden 116 

The Rose ; Its General Care and Culture 128 

The Rose as a Summer Redder 149 

The Dahlia 156 

The Gladiolus 166 

Lilies 172 

Plants for Special Purposes 176 

Arbors, Summer-Houses, Pergolas, and other Garden 

Features 189 

Carpet-Bedding 205 

Flowering and Foliage Plants for Edging Beds and 

Walks 216 

Planning the Garden 223 

The Back- Yard Garden 229 

The Wild Garden 234 

The Winter Garden 243 

Window and Veranda Boxes 250 

Spring Work in the Garden 257 

Summer Work in the Garden 264 

Fall Work in the Garden o .» ... . 268 

Bt Wat of Postscript 272 

13 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



PAGB 

"Not Wholly in the Busy World, nor Quite Beyond 
IT, Blooms the Garden that I Love" . . . .Frontispiece 

Pill.\r-Trained Vines 8 

Ivy, Climbing Roses, and Colorado Blue Spruce 34 

A Bit of Informal Border 37 

Shrubs Along the Driveway 44 

Snowball 51 

American Ivy and Geraniums 60 

Honeysuckle 73 

Japan Ivy Growing on Wall 76 

Shrubs and Perennials Combined in Border 83 

Old-Fashioned Hollyhocks 88 

The Peony at Its Best 90 

A Bit of the Border of Perennial Plants 92 

A Bed of Asters 106 

Bed of White Hyacinths Bordered with Pansies 125 

Hybrid Perpetual Rose 130 

Rose Trellis 136 

Rambler Roses 142 

Dorothy Perkins Rose — The Best of the Ramblers.. 145 

Tea Rose 152 

Cactus Dahlia 160 

15 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



A Gaeden Glimpse 170 

AuRATUM Lily 174 

The Odds and Ends Corner 180 

Summer House 191 

A Pergola Suggestion 195 

A Simple Pergola Framework 198 

Gardener's Tool-House 200 

A Border of Creeping Phlox 220 

In Summer 224 

In Winter 224 

Porch Box 238 

Porch Box 254 

Planting to Hide Foundation Walls 272 



The Illustrations are reproduced from photographs by J. F. Murray. 



THE LAWN: HOW TO MAKE 
IT AND HOW TO TAKE 
CARE OF IT 



HE owner of the average 
small home seldom goes to 
the expense of employing the 
professional gardener to do 
the work of lawn-making. 
Sometimes he cannot afford 
to do so. Sometimes skilled 
labor is not obtainable. The consequence is, in 
the majority of cases, the lawn, — or what, by 
courtesy, is called by that name, — is a sort of 
evolution which is an improvement on the orig- 
inal conditions surrounding the home, but which 
never reaches a satisfactory stage. We see such 
lawns everywhere — rough, uneven, bare in spots, 
anything but attractive in a general way, and 
but little better than the yard which has been 
given no attention, were it not for the shrubs 
and plants that have been set out in them. The 
probabilities are that if you ask the owner of 
such a place why he has no lawn worth the name, 
he will give one or the other of the reasons I have 

2 17 




THE LAWN 



made mention of above as his excuse for the exist- 
ing condition of things about the home. If you 
ask him why he has not undertaken the work him- 
self, he will most likely answer that he lacks the 
knowledge necessary to the making of a fine 
lawn, and rather than experiment with it he has 
chosen to let it alone. 

Now the fact is — ^lawn-making has nothing 
mysterious about it, as so many seem to think. 
It does not call for skilled labor. It need not be 
an expensive undertaking. Any man who owns 
a home that he desires to make the most of can 
make himself a lawn that will be quite as satis- 
factory, in nearly every instance, as the one made 
by the professional gardener — more so, in fact, 
since what we make for ourselves we appreciate 
much more than that which we hire made for us. 
The object of this paper is to assist home-makers 
in doing just this kind of work. I shall endeavor 
to make it so plain and practical that anyone so 
inclined can do all that needs doing in a satisfac- 
tory manner. It may not have that nicety of 
finish, when completed, that characterizes the 
work of the professional, but it will harmonize 
with its surroundings more perfectly, perhaps, 
and will afford us quite as much pleasure as the 
work of the expert. 

18 



THE LAWN 



If the house has just been built, very likely 
everything about it is in a more or less chaotic 
condition. Odds and ends of lumber, mortar, 
brick, and all kinds of miscellaneous building ma- 
terial scattered all over the place, the ground 
uneven, treeless, shrubless, and utterly lacking in 
all the elements that go to make a place pleasing 
and attractive. Out of this chaos order must be 
evolved, and the evolution may be satisfactory 
in every way — if we only begin right. 

The first thing to do is to clear away all the 
rubbish that clutters up the place. Do not make 
the mistake of dumping bits of wood into hollows 
with the idea that you are making a good founda- 
tion for a lawn-surface. This wood will decay in 
a year or two, and there will be a depression 
there. Fill into the low places only such matter 
as will retain its original proportions, like brick 
and stone. Make kindling-wood of the rubbish 
from lumber, or burn it. Get rid of it in some 
way before you begin operations. What you 
want, at this stage of the proceedings, is a ground 
entirely free from anything that will interfere 
with grading the surface of it. 

If the lot upon which the house stands is a 
comparatively level one — or rather, was, before 
the house was built — it is generally easy to secure 

19 



THE LAWN 



a slope from the house on all sides, by filling in 
about the building with the soil thrown up from 
the cellar or in making excavation for the walls. 
If no excavation of any kind has been made — and 
quite often, nowadays, foundation walls are 
built on the ground instead of starting a foot or 
two below the surface, — a method never to be 
advised because of the risk of injury to the build- 
ing from the action of frost in the soil, — ^it may be 
necessary to make the lot evenly level, unless one 
goes to the expense of filling in. A slight slope 
away from the house- walls is always desirable, as 
it adds vastly to the general effect. Enough soil 
to secure this slope will not cost a great deal, if 
it does not happen to be at hand, and one will 
never regret the outlay. 

If the ground is very uneven, it is well to have 
it ploughed, and afterward harrowed to pulverize 
the soil and secure a comparatively level surface. 
Do not be satisfied with one harrowing. Go over 
it again and again until not a lump or clod re- 
mains in it. The finer the soil is before seed is 
sown the better will be the sward you grow 
on it. 

If the surface of the yard is not uneven, all the 
grading necessary can be done by spading up the 
soil to the depth of a foot, and then working it 

20 



THE LAWN 



over thoroughly with, first, a heavy hoe to break 
apart the lumps, and then an iron rake to pul- 
verize it. 

I say nothing about drainage because not one 
lot-owner in a hundred can be prevailed on to go 
to the trouble and expense of arranging for it. 
If I were to devote a dozen pages to this phase 
of the work, urging that it be given careful atten- 
tion, my advice would be ignored. The matter of 
drainage frightens the home-maker out of under- 
taking the improvement of the yard, nine times 
out of ten, if you urge its importance upon him. 
If the location is a rather low one, however, it is 
a matter that ought not to be overlooked, but it 
is not so important if the lot is high enough for 
water to run off speedily after a shower. If any 
system of drainage is arranged for, I would ad- 
vise turning the work over to the professionals, 
who thoroughly understand what ought to be 
done and how to do it. This is a matter in which 
the amateur must work to a disadvantage when 
he undertakes to do it for himself. 

If there are hollows and depressions, fill them 
by levelling little hummocks which may be found 
on other parts of the ground, or by having soil 
drawn in from outside. In filling low places, 
beat the soil down solidly as you add it. Unless 

21 



THE LAWN 



this is done — and done well — the soil you add will 
settle, after a little, and the result will be a de- 
pression — not as deep as the original one, of 
course, but still a depression that will make a 
low place that will be very noticeable. But by 
packing and pounding down the earth as you fill 
it in, it can be made as solid as the soil surround- 
ing it, and in this way all present and future 
unevenness of the soil can be done away with. It 
is attention to such details as these that makes 
a success of the work, and I would urge upon 
the amateur lawn-maker the absolute necessity of 
working slowly and carefully, and slighting noth- 
ing. Undue haste and the lack of thoroughness 
will result in a slovenly job that you will be 
ashamed of, before it is done, and so disgusted 
with, on completion, that you will not feel like 
doing the work over again for fear another effort 
may be more unsatisfactory than the first one. 
Therefore do good work in every respect as you 
go along, and the work you do will be its own 
reward when done. 

It is impossible to put too much work on the 
soil. That is — ^you cannot make it too fine and 
mellow. The finer it is the finer the sward will 
be. A coarse, lumpy soil will always make an 
unsatisfactory lawn-surface. 



THE LAWN 



Most soils will need the addition of consider- 
able manure, and poor ones will need a good deal. 
To secure a strong, luxuriant stand of grass it is 
very essential that it should be fed well. While 
grass will grow almost anywhere, it is only on 
rich soils that you see it in perfection, and the 
ideal lawn demands a sward as nearly perfect as 
possible. 

But I would not advise the use of barnyard 
manure, for this reason: It contains the seeds of 
the very weeds you must keep out of your lawn 
if you would have it what it ought to be, — ^weeds 
that will eventually ruin everything if not got 
rid of, like Dandelion, Burdock, and Thistle, to 
say nothing of the smaller plants that are harder 
to fight than those I have made mention of. We 
cannot be too careful in guarding against these 
trespassers which can be kept out much easier 
than they can be put to rout after they have 
secured a foothold. Therefore I would urge the 
substitution of a commercial fertilizer for barn- 
yard manure in every instance. Scatter it liber- 
ally over the soil as soon as spaded, or ploughed, 
and work it in with the harrow or the hoe or rake, 
when you are doing the work of pulverization. 

If you do not understand just what kind of 
fertilizer to make use of, tell the dealer as nearly 



THE LAWN 



as you can the nature of the soil you propose to 
use it on, and he will doubtless be able to supply 
you with the article you require. It is always 
safe to trust to the judgment of the man who 
knows just what a fertilizer will do, as to the kind 
and quantity to make use of. Soils differ so 
mdely that it is not possible to advise a fertilizer 
that will give satisfaction everywhere. This be- 
ing the case, I advise you to consult local authori- 
ties who understand the adaptation of fertilizers 
to soils before making a choice. 

April is a good month in which to seed the 
lawn. So is May, for that matter, but the sooner 
the grass gets a start the better, for early starting 
will put it in better condition to withstand the 
effects of midsummer heat because it will have 
more and stronger roots than later-sown grass 
can have by the time a demand is made upon its 
vitality. 

Sowing lawn-grass seed evenly is an undertak- 
ing that most amateurs fail in. The seed is light 
as chaff, and every puff of wind, no matter how 
light, will carry it far and wide. Choose a still 
day, if possible, for sowing, and cross-sov/. That 
is — sow from north to south, and then from east 
to west. In this way you will probably be able 
to get the seed quite evenly distributed. Hold 



THE LAWN 



the hand close to the ground, filled with seed, and 
tlien, as you make a circular motion from right to 
left, and back again, let the seed slip from be- 
tween your fingers as evenly as possible. A little 
experimenting along this line will enable you to 
do quite satisfactory work. You may use up a 
good deal of seed in experimenting, but that will 
not matter. One common mistake in lawn-mak- 
ing is to use too little seed. A thinly-seeded lawn 
will not give you a good sward the first season, 
but a thickly-seeded one will. In fact, it will 
have that velvety look which is one of the chief 
charms of any lawn, after its first mowing. I 
would advise you to tell the dealer of whom you 
purchase seed the size of your lot, and let him 
decide on the quantity of seed required to make 
a good job of it. 

In buying seed get only the very best on the 
market. But only of reliable dealers. By " re- 
liable dealers " I mean such firms as have estab- 
lished a reputation for honesty and fair dealing 
all along the line. Such dealers have to live up 
to their reputations, and they will not work oif 
upon you an inferior article as the dealer who 
has, as yet, no reputation to live up to may, and 
often does, charging you for it a price equal to, or 
beyond, that which the honest dealer would ask 



THE LAWN 



for his superior grade of seed. In order to have 
a fine sward it is absolutely necessary that you 
must have good seed. Cheap seed — and that 
means poor seed, always — does not contain the 
varieties of grasses necessary to the making of 
a rich, deep, velvety sward, and it almost always 
does contain the seeds of noxious weeds which 
will make jom lawn a failure. Therefore patron- 
ize the dealers in whose honesty you have ample 
reason to have entire confidence, and buy the 
very best seed^they have in stock. 

After sowing, roll the surface of the lawn to 
imbed the seed in the soil, and make the ground 
firm enough about it to retain sufiicient moisture 
to insure germination. In three or four days the 
tiny blades ought to begin to show. In a week 
the surface will seem covered with a green mist, 
and in a fortnight's time you will be able to see, 
with a little exercise of the imagination, the kind 
of lawn you are going to have. If the season is 
a dry one it may be well to sprinkle the soil every 
day, after sundo^vn. Use water liberally, and 
keep on doing so until rain comes or the plants 
have taken hold of the moister soil below with 
their delicate feeding-roots. 

I would not advise mowing until the grass is 
at least three inches high. Then clip lightly with 

26 



THE LAWN 



a sharp-bladed mower. Just cut away the top of 
the grass. To mow close, while the grass is get- 
ting a start, is the worst thing you can do. When 
it begins to thicken up by stooling out, then, and 
not till then, will you be warranted in setting the 
mower so that it will cut closely. But never 
shear the sward, as some do. You will never have 
a turf like velvet if you do that. Let there be an 
inch and a half or two inches of the grass-blade 
left. 

The importance of having good tools to work 
with, in taking care of the lawn, ought not to be 
overlooked. A mower whose blades are dull will 
tear the grass off, and make it look ragged, as if 
gnawed away by animals feeding on it, while the 
mower whose blades are of the proper sharpness 
will cut it as evenly and as neatly as if a razor 
had been applied to it. You cannot appreciate 
the difference until you have seen a specimen of 
each, and compared them. 

Some persons advocate raking the lawn after 
each mowing. Others advise leaving the clip- 
pings to act as a sort of mulch. If the clippings 
are allowed to remain, they wilt, and this will 
detract from the appearance of the sward for a 
short time, but by the next day they will not be 
noticeable. Raking as soon as mowed makes the 

27 



THE LAWN 



lawn more immediately presentable. I have 
never been able to see any great deal of differ- 
ence in the two methods, except as to appear- 
ance, therefore I would advise the lawn-owner to 
try both methods and adopt the one that pleases 
him most. If a rake is used, let it be one with 
blunt teeth that will not tear the sward. There 
is such a rake on the market, its teeth being made 
of bent wire. On no account use a sharp-toothed 
iron rake. That is sure to injure the sward. 

Be regular in your attention to the lawn. Do 
not let the grass get so tall that the mower will 
not do a good job in cutting it. This necessitates 
mowing at regular intervals. If you mow only 
once a week, I would advise the use of the rake, 
as long grass-clippings are always unsightly be- 
cause they remain on top of the sward, while 
short clippings from frequent mowing sink into 
it, and are soon out of sight. 

In case the lawn is neglected for a week or 
more, once going over it with the mower will not 
make it very presentable. Mow, and then rake, 
and then go over it again, cutting across the first 
swaths. The second cutting will result in an 
even surface, but it will not be as satisfactory as 
that secured by regular mowings, at intervals of 
two or three days. 

28 



THE LAWN 



It is a most excellent plan to scatter bonemeal 
over the surface of the lawn in midsummer, and 
again in fall. Use the fine meal, as the coarse 
article is not readily assimilated by the soil. 
There is little danger of using enough to injure 
the sward. Injury generally results from not 
using any. 

Many lawn-owners, with a mistaken idea of 
neatness, rake up the leaves that scatter them- 
selves over the sward in fall, thus removing the 
protection that Nature has provided for the grass. 
Do not do this. Allow them to remain all winter. 
They will be entirely hidden by the snow, if any 
falls, and if there is none they are not unsightly, 
when you cease to think of them as litter. You 
will appreciate the difference between a fall- 
raked lawn and one on which leaves have been 
allowed to remain over winter, when spring 
comes. The lawn without protection will have a 
brown, scorched look, while the other will begin 
to show varying tints of green as soon as the snow 
melts. Grass is hardy, and requires no protec- 
tion to prevent winter-killing, but a covering, 
though slight, saves enough of its vitality to make 
it well worth while to provide it. 

The ideal lawn is one in which no weeds are 
found. But I have never seen such a lawn, and 

99 



THE LAWN 



never expect to. It is possible to keep weeds 
from showing much if one has a thick, fine sward, 
but keen eyes will discover them without much 
trouble. Regular and careful mowings will keep 
them within bounds, and when the leaves of large- 
f oliaged plants like the Burdock and Thistle are 
not allowed to develop they do not do a great deal 
of harm except in the drain they make upon the 
soil. Generally, after repeated discouragements 
of their efforts to assert themselves, they pine 
away and finally disappear. But there will be 
others always coming to take their places, espe- 
cially in the country, and their kindred growing 
in the pastures and by the roadside will ripen seed 
each season to be scattered broadcast by the wind. 
This being the case, the impossibility of entirely 
freeing a lawn from weeds by uprooting them or 
cutting them off will be readily apparent. One 
would have to spend all his time in warfare 
against them, on even a small lawn, if he were to 
set out to keep them from growing there. There- 
fore about all one can do to prevent large weeds 
from becoming unsightly is to constantly curb 
their aspirations by mowing them down as soon 
as they reach a given height. 

The Dandelion and the Plantain are probably 
the worst pests of all, because their seeds fill the 

30 



THE LAWN 



air when they ripen, and settle here, there, and 
everywhere, and wherever they come in contact 
with the ground they germinate, and a colony of 
young plants establishes itself. Because the Bur- 
dock and Thistle attempt to develop an up-reach- 
ing top it is an easy matter to keep them down by 
mowing, but the Dandelion and Plantain hug the 
soil so closely that the mower slips over them 
without coming in contact with their crowns, and 
so they live on, and on, and spread by a multipli- 
cation of their roots until they often gain entire 
possession of the soil, in spots. When this hap- 
pens, the best thing to do is to spade up the patch, 
and rake every weed-root out of it, and then re- 
seed it. If this is done early in spring the newly- 
seeded place will not be noticeable by mid- 
summer. 

We frequently see weed-killers advertised in 
the catalogues of the florist. Most, if not all, of 
them will do all that is claimed for them, but — 
they will do just as deadly work on the grass, if 
they get to it, as they do on the weed, therefore 
they are of no practical use, as it is impossible 
to apply them to weeds without their coming in 
contact with the sward. 

Ants often do great damage to the lawn by 
burrowing under the sward and throwing up 

31 



THE LAWN 



great huminocks of loose soil, thus killing out 
large patches of grass where they come to the 
surface. It is a somewhat difficult matter to dis- 
lodge them, but it can sometimes be done by cov- 
ering the places where they work with powdered 
borax to the depth of half an inch, and then 
applying water to carry it down into the soil. 
Repeat the operation if necessary. Florists ad- 
vertise liquids which are claimed to do this work 
effectively, but I have had no occasion to test 
them, as the borax application has never failed 
to rout the ant on my lawn, and when I find a 
remedy that does its work well I depend upon 
it, rather than experiment with something of 
whose merits I know nothing. " Prove all things 
and hold fast to that which is good." 

Fighting the ant is an easier matter than ex- 
terminating weeds, as ant-hills are generally 
localized, and it is possible to get at them without 
injuring a large amount of sward as one cannot 
help doing when he applies liquids to weeds. 
The probabilities are, however, that ants cannot 
be entirely driven away from the lawn after they 
have taken possession of it. They will shift their 
quarters and begin again elsewhere. But you 
can keep them on the run by repeated applica- 
tions of whatever proves obnoxious to them, and 

32 



THE LAWN 



in this way you can prevent their doing a great 
deal of harm. To be successful in this you will 
have to be constantly on the lookout for them, and 
so prompt in the use of the weapons you employ 
against them that they are prevented from be- 
coming thoroughly estabUshed in new quarters. 



3 



PLANTING THE LAWN 



HEN the lawn is made we 
begin to puzzle over the 
planting of trees and 
shrubbery. 
What shall we have? 
Where shall we have it? 
One of the commonest 
mistakes m.ade by the man who is his own gar- 
dener is that of over-planting the home-grounds 
with trees and shrubs. This mistake is made be- 
cause he does not look ahead and see, with the 
mind's eye, what the result will be, a few years 
from now, of the work he does to-day. 

The sapling of to-day will in a short time 
become a tree of good size, and the bush that 
seems hardly worth considering at present will 
develop into a shrub three, four, perhaps six feet 
across. If we plant closely, as we are all in- 
clined to because of the small size of the material 
we use at planting time, we will soon have a 
thicket, and it will be necessary to sacrifice most 
of the shrubs in order to give the few we leave 
sufficient room to develop in. Therefore do not 

34 




THE LAWN 



think, when you set out plants, of their present 
size, but of the size they will have attained to five 
or six years from now. Do not aim at immediate 
effect, as most of us do in our impatience for 
results. Be content to plant — and wait. I shall 
give no diagi^ams for lawn-planting for two 
reasons. The first one is — no two places are ex- 
actly alike, and a diagram prepared for one 
would have to be so modified in order to adapt it 
to the needs of the other that it would be of little 
value, save in the way of suggestion, and I think 
suggestions of a general character without the 
diagram will be found most satisfactory. The 
second reason is — few persons would care to 
duplicate the grounds of his neighbor, and this he 
would be obliged to do if diagrams were depended 
on. Therefore I advise each home-owner to 
plant his lawn after plans of his own prepara- 
tion, after having given careful consideration to 
the matter. Look about you. Visit the lawns 
your neighbors have made, and discover wherein 
they have made mistakes. Note wherein they 
have been successful. And then profit by their 
experience, be it that of success or failure. 

Do not make the mistake of planting trees 
and shrubs in front of the house, or between it 
and the street. Place them somewhere to the 

35 



PLANTING 



side, or the rear, and leave a clear, open sweep 
of lawn in front of the dwelling. Enough un- 
broken space should be left there to give the sense 
of breadth which will act as a division between 
the pubUc and the private. Scatter shrubs and 
flower-beds over the lami and you destroy that 
impression of distance which is given by even a 
small law^n when there is nothing on it to interfere 
with the vision, as we look across it. 

Relegate shrubs to the sides of the lot, if you 
can conveniently do so, being careful to give the 
larger ones locations at the point farthest from 
the street, graduating them toward the front of 
the lot according to their habit of growth. Aim 
to secure a background by keeping the big fel- 
lows where they cannot interfere with the out- 
look of the little ones. 

If paths are to be made, think well before de- 
ciding w^here they shall be. Some persons prefer 
a straight path from the street to the house. This 
saves steps, but it gives the place a prim and 
formal look that is never pleasing. It divides 
the yard into two sections of equal importance, 
where it is advisable to have but one if we would 
make the most of things. In other words, it 
halves things, thus weakening the general effect 
greatly. A straight path is never a graceful one. 

36 



A BIT OF INFORMAL BORDER 



THE LAWN 



A curving path will make you a few more steps, 
but so much will be gained by it, in beauty, that 
I feel sm-e you will congratulate yourself on hav- 
ing chosen it, after you have compared it with 
the straight path of your neighbor. It will allow 
you to leave the greater share of the small lawn 
intact, thus securing the impression of breadth 
that is so necessary to the best effect. 

I have spoken of planting shrubs at the sides 
of the home-lot. If this is done, we secure a sort 
of frame for the home-picture that will be ex- 
tremely pleasing. If the shrubs near the street 
are small and low, and those beyond them in- 
crease in breadth and height as they approach the 
rear of the lot, with evergreens or trees as a back- 
ground for the dwelling, the effect will be de- 
lightful. Such a general plan of planting the 
home-grounds is easily carried out. The most 
important feature of it to keep in mind is that of 
locating your plants in positions that will give 
each one a chance to display its charms to the 
best effect, and this you can easily do if you read 
the catalogues and familiarize yourself with the 
heights and habits of them. 

If your lot adjoins that of a neighbor who has 
not yet improved his home-grounds, I would ad- 
vise consulting with him, and forming a partner- 

37 



PLANTING 



ship in improvement-work, if possible. If you 
proceed after a plan of your own on your side of 
the fence, and he does the same on his side, there 
may be a sad lack of harmony in the result. But 
if you talk the matter over together the chances 
are that you can formulate a plan that will be 
entirely satisfactory to both parties, and result 
in that harmony which is absolutely necessary to 
effective work. Because, you see, both will be 
working together toward a definite design, while 
without such a partnership of interests each 
would be working independently, and your ideas 
of the fitness of things might be sadly at variance 
with those of your neighbor. 

Never set your plants in rows. Nature never 
does that, and she doesn't make any mistakes. If 
you want an object-lesson in arrangement, go 
into the fields and pastures, and along the road, 
and note how she has arranged the shrubs she has 
planted there. Here a group, there a group, in 
a manner that seems to have had no plan back of 
it, and yet I feel quite sure she planned out very 
carefully every one of these clumps and combina- 
tions. The closer you study Nature's methods 
and pattern after them the nearer you will come 
to success. 

Avoid formality as you would the plague if 

38 



THE LAWN 



you want your garden to afford you all the pleas- 
ure you can get out of it. Nature's methods are 
always restful in effect because they are so sim- 
ple and direct. They never seem premeditated. 
Her plants " just grow," like the Topsy of Mrs. 
Stowe's book, and no one seems to have given any 
thought to the matter. But in order to success- 
fully imitate Nature it is absolutely necessary 
that we familiarize ourselves, as I have said, with 
her ways of doing things, and we can only do this 
by studying from her books as she opens them 
for us in every field, and by the roadside, and 
the woodland nook. The secret of success, in a 
word, lies in getting so close to the heart of Na- 
ture that she will take us into her confidence and 
tell us some of her secrets. 

One of the best trees for the small lawn is the 
Cut-Leaved Birch. It grows rapidly, is always 
attractive, and does not outgrow the limit of the 
ordinary lot. Its habit is grace itself. Its white- 
barked trunk, slender, pendant branches, and 
finely-cut foliage never fail to challenge admira- 
tion. In fall it takes on a coloring of pale gold, 
and is more attractive than ever. In winter its 
delicate branches show against a background of 
blue sky with all the delicacy and distinctness 
of an etching. No tree that I know of is hardier. 

39 



PLANTING 



The Mountain Ash deserves a place on all 
lawns, large or small. Its foliage is very attrac- 
tive, as are its great clusters of white flowers in 
spring. When its fruit ripens, the tree is as 
showy as anything can well be. And, like the 
Cut-Leaved Birch, it is ironclad in its hardiness. 
It is an almost ideal tree for small places. 

The Japanese Maples are beautiful trees, of 
medium size, very graceful in habit, and rapid 
growers. While not as desirable for a street tree 
as our native Maple, they will give better satis- 
faction on the lawn. 

The Purple-Leaved Beech is exceedingly 
showy, and deserves a place on every lawn, large 
or small. In spring its foliage is a deep purple. 
In summer it takes on a crimson tinge, and in fall 
it colors up like bronze. It branches close to the 
ground, and should never be pruned to form a 
head several feet from the ground, like most 
other trees. Such treatment will mar, if not 
spoil, the attractiveness of it. 

Betchel's Crab, which grows to be of medium 
size, is one of the loveliest things imaginable 
when in bloom. Its flowers, which are double, 
are of a delicate pink, with a most delicious fra- 
grance. 

The White-Flowering Dogwood {Cornus 

40 



THE LAWN 



florida) will give excellent results wherever 
planted. Its white blossoms are produced in 
great abundance early in spring — before its 
leaves are out, in fact — and last for a long time. 
Its fohage is a gray-green, glossy and hand- 
some in summer, and in fall a deep, rich red, mak- 
ing it a wonderfully attractive object at that 
season. 

The Judas Tree (Redbud) never grows to be 
large. Its lovely pink blossoms appear in spring 
before its heart-shaped leaves are developed. 
Very desirable. 

Salisburia (Maiden-Hair) . This is an elegant 
little tree from Japan. Its foliage is almost 
fern-like in its delicacy. It is a free grower, and 
in every respect desirable. 

Among our larger trees that are well adapted 
to use about the house, the Elm is the most grace- 
ful. It is the poet of the forest, with its wide- 
spreading, drooping branches, its beautiful foli- 
age, and grace in every aspect of its stately form. 

As a street-tree the Maple is unexcelled. It is 
of rapid growth, entirely hardy anywhere at the 
north, requires ver}^ little attention in the way of 
pruning, is never troubled by insects, and has the 
merit of great cleanliness. It is equally valuable 
for the lawn. In fall, it changes its summer- 

41 



PLAIS^TING 



green for purest gold, and is a tiling of beauty 
until it loses its last leaf. 

The Laurel-Leaved Willow is very desirable 
where quick results are wanted. Its branches 
frequently make a growth of five and six feet in 
a season. Its leaves are shaped like those of 
the European Laurel, — hence its specific name, — 
with a glossy, dark-green surface. It is prob- 
ably the most rapid grower of all desirable lawn 
trees. Planted along the roadside it will be found 
far more satisfactory than the Lombardy Poplar 
which is grown so extensively, but which is never 
pleasing after the first few years of its life, be- 
cause of its habit of dying off at the top. 

The Box Elder (Ash-Leaved Maple) is another 
tree of very rapid growth. It has handsome 
light-green foliage, and a head of spreading and 
irregular shape when left to its own devices, but 
it can be made into quite a dignified tree with 
a little attention in the way of pruning. I like 
it best, however, when allowed to train itself, 
though this would not be satisfactory where the 
tree is planted along the street. It will grow 
amnvhere, is hardy enough to stand the severest 
climate, and is of such rapid development that 
the first thing you know the little sapling you set 
out is large enough to bear seed, 

49 



THE LAWN 



I like the idea of giving each home a back- 
ground of evergreens. This for two reasons — ^to 
bring out the distinctive features of the place 
more effectively than it is possible to without 
such a background, and to serve as a wind-break. 
If planted at the rear of the house, they answer 
an excellent purpose in shutting away the view of 
buildings that are seldom sightly. The best 
variety for home-use, all things considered, is the 
Norway Spruce. This grows to be a stately tree 
of pyramidal habit, perfect in form, with heavy, 
slightly pendulous branches from the ground up. 
Never touch it with the pruning-shears unless 
you want to spoil it. The Colorado Blue Spruce 
is another excellent variety for general planting, 
with rich, blue-green foliage. It is a free-grower, 
and perfectly hardy. The Douglas Spruce has 
foliage somewhat resembling that of the Hem- 
lock. Its habit of growth is that of a cone, with 
light and graceful spreading branches that give it 
a much more open and airy effect than is found in 
other Spruces. The Hemlock Spruce is a most 
desirable variety for lawn use where a single 
specimen is wanted. Give it plenty of room in 
which to stretch out its slender, graceful branches 
and I think it will please you more than any 
other evergreen you can select. 

43 



PLANTING 



It must not be inferred that the list of trees 
of which mention has been made includes all that 
are desirable for planting about the home. There 
are others of great merit, and many might prefer 
them to the kinds I have spoken of. I have made 
special mention of these because I know they will 
prove satisfactory under such conditions as ordi- 
narily prevail about the home, therefore they are 
the kinds I would advise the amateur gardener 
to select in order to attain the highest degree of 
success. Give them good soil to grow in, and 
they will ask very little from you in the way of 
attention. They are trees that anybody can 
grow, therefore trees for everybody. 

In planting a tree care must be taken to get it 
as deep in the ground as it was before it was 
taken from the nursery. If a little deeper no 
harm will be done. 

Make the hole in which it is to be planted so 
large that all its roots can be spread out evenly 
and naturally. 

Before putting it in place, go over its roots and 
cut off the ends of all that were severed in taking 
it up. Use a sharp knife in doing this, and make 
a clean, smooth cut. A callus will form readily 
if this is done, but not if the ends of the large 
roots are left in a ragged, mutilated condition. 



THE LAWN 



When the trees are received from the nursery 
they will be wrapped in moss and straw, with bur- 
lap about the roots. Do not unpack them until 
you are ready to plant them. If you cannot do 
this as soon as they are received, put them in the 
cellar or some other cool, shady place, and pour 
a pailful of water over the wrapping about the 
roots. Never unpack them and leave their roots 
exposed to the air for any length of time. If they 
must be unpacked before planting, cover their 
roots with damp moss, wet burlap, old carpet, or 
blankets, — anything that will protect them from 
the air and from drying out. But — get them into 
the ground as soon as possible. 

When the tree is in the hole made for it, cover 
the roots with fine soil, and then settle this down 
among the roots by jarring the trunk, or by 
churning the tree up and down carefully. After 
doing this, and securing a covering for all the 
roots, apply a pailful or two of water to firm the 
soil well. I find this more efF ective than firming 
the soil with the foot, as it prevents the possibility 
of loose planting. 

Then fill the hole with soil, and apply three or 
four inches of coarse manure from the barnyard 
to serve as a mulch. This keeps the soil moist, 
which is an important item, especially if the 

4^ 



PLANTING 



season happens to be a dry one. If barnyard 
manure is not obtainable, use leaves, or grass- 
clippings — anything that will shade the soil and 
retain moisture well. 

Where shall we plant our trees? 

This question is one that we often find it diffi- 
cult to answer, because we are not familiar 
enough with them to know much about the eff ect 
they will give after a few years' development. 
Before deciding on a location for them I would 
advise the home-maker to look about him until 
he finds places where the kinds he proposes to 
use are growing. Then study the effect that is 
given by them under conditions similar to those 
which prevail on your own grounds. Make a 
mental transfer of them to the place in which 
you intend to use them. This you can do with 
the exercise of a little imagination. When you 
see them growing on your own grounds, as you 
can with the mind's eye, you can tell pretty 
nearly where they ought to be planted. You 
will get more benefit from object-lessons of this 
kind than from books. 

On small grounds I would advise keeping them 
well to the sides of the house. If any are planted 
in front of the house they will be more satis- 
factory if placed nearer the street than the 

46 



THE LAWN 



house. They should never be near enough to the 
dweUing to shade it. Sunshine about the house 
is necessary to health as well as cheerfulness. 

Trees back of the dwelling are always pleasing. 
Under no circumstances plant them in prim rows, 
or just so many feet apart. This applies to all 
grounds, large or small, immediately about the 
house. But if the place is large enough to admit 
of a driveway, a row of evergreens on each side 
of it can be made an attractive feature. 

The reader will understand from what I have 
said that no hard-and-fast rules as to where to 
plant one's trees can be laid down, because of the 
wide difference of conditions under which the 
planting must be made. Each home-owner must 
decide this matter for himself, but I would urge 
that no decision be made without first familiariz- 
ing yourself with the effect of whatever trees 
you select as you can see them growing on the 
grounds of your neighbors. 

Do not make the mistake of planting so thickly 
that a jungle will result after a few years. In 
order to do itself justice, each tree must have 
space enough about it, on all sides, to enable it to 
display its charms fully. This no tree can do 
when crowded in among others. One or two fine 
large trees with plenty of elbow-room about them 

47 



PLANTING THE LAWN 



will afford vastly more satisfaction than a dozen 
trees that dispute the space with each other. Here 
again is proof of what I have said many times in 
this book, that quality is what pleases rather than 
quantity. 

If any trees are planted in front of the house, 
choose kinds having a high head, so that there 
will be no obstruction of the outlook from the 
dwelling. 



SHRUBS 



VERY yard ought to have its 
quota of shrubs. They give 
to it a charm which nothing 
else in the plant-line can sup- 
ply, because they have a 
greater dignity than the 
perennial and the annual 
plant, on account of size, and the fact that they 
are good for many years, with very little care, 
recommends them to the home-maker who cannot 
give a great deal of attention to the garden and 
the home-grounds. It hardly seems necessary to 
say anything about their beauty. That is one of 
the things that "goes without saying," among 
those who see, each spring, the glory of the Lilacs 
and the Spireas, and other shrubs which find a 
place in " everybody's garden." On very small 
ground the larger-growing shrubs take the place 
of trees quite satisfactorily. Indeed, they are 
preferable there, because they are not likely to 
outgrow the limits assigned them, as trees will in 
time, and they do not make shade enough to bring 
about the unsanitary conditions which are almost 

4 49 




SHRUBS 



always found to exist in small places where trees, 
planted too thickly at first, have made a strong 
development. Shade is a pleasing feature of a 
place in summer, but there is such a thing as 
having too much of it. We frequently see places 
in which the dwelling is almost entirely hidden 
by a thicket of trees, and examination will be 
pretty sure to show that the house is damp, and 
the occupants of it unhealthy. Look at the roof 
and you will be quite sure to find the shingles 
covered with green moss. The only remedy for 
such a condition of things is the thinning out or 
removal of some of the trees, and the admission of 
sunlight. Shrubs can never be charged with pro- 
ducing such a state of things, hence my prefer- 
ence for them on lots where there is not much 
room. Vines can be used upon the walls of the 
dwelling and about the verandas and porches in 
such a way as to give all the shade that is needed, 
and, with a few really fine specimens of shrubs 
scattered about the grounds, trees will not be 
likely to be missed much. 

I would not be understood as discouraging the 
planting of trees on grounds where there is ample 
space for their development. A fine tree is one 
of the most beautiful things in the world, but it 
must be given a good deal of room, and that is 

50 



SHRUBS 



just what cannot be done on the small city or 
village lot. Another argument in favor of shrubs 
is — they will be in their prime a few years after 
planting, while a tree must have years to grow 
in. And a shrub generally affords considerable 
pleasure from the start, as it will bloom when 
very small. Many of them bloom the first season. 

In locating shrubs do not make the mistake 
of putting them between the house and the street, 
unless for the express purpose of shutting out 
something unsightly either of buildings or thor- 
oughfare. A small lawn loses its dignity when 
broken up by trees, shrubs, or flower-beds. Left 
to itself it imparts a sense of breadth and distance 
which will make it seem larger than it really is. 
Plant things all over it and this effect is de- 
stroyed. I have said this same thing in other 
chapters of this book, and I repeat it with a 
desire to so impress the fact upon the mind of the 
home-maker that he cannot forget it, and make 
the common mistake of locating his shrubbery or 
his flower-gardens in the front yard. 

The best location for shrubs on small lots is 
that which I have advised for hardy plants — 
along the sides of the lot, or at the rear of it, far 
enough away from the dwelling, if space vdll 
permit, to serve as a background for it. Of 

51 



SHRUBS 



course no hard-and-fast rule can be laid down, 
because lots differ so widely in size and shape, 
and the houses we build on them are seldom 
found twice in the same place. I am simply 
advising in a general way, and the advice will 
have to be modified to suit the conditions which 
exist about each home. 

Do not set your shrubs out after any formal 
fashion — just so far apart, and in straight rows 
— as so many do. Formality should be avoided 
whenever possible. 

I think you will find the majority of them most 
satisfactory when grouped. That is, several of 
a kind — or at least of kinds that harmonize in 
general effect — planted so close together that, 
when well developed, they form one large mass 
of branches and foliage. I do not mean, by this, 
that they should be crowded. Give each one 
ample space to develop in, but let them be near 
enough to touch, after a little. 

If it is proposed to use different kinds in 
groups, one must make sure that he understand 
the habit of each, or results will be likely to be 
most unsatisfactory. The larger-growing kinds 
must be given the centre or the rear of the group, 
with smaller kinds at the sides, or in front. The 
season of flowering and the peculiarities of 

52 



SHRUBS 



branch and foliage should also be given due con- 
sideration. If we were to plant a Lilac with its 
stiff and rather formal habit among a lot of 
Spireas, all slender grace and delicate foliage, 
the effect would be far from pleasing. The two 
shrubs have nothing in common, except beauty, 
and that is so dissimilar that it cannot be made to 
harmonize. There must be a general harmony. 
This does not mean that there may not be plenty 
of contrast. Contrast and harmony are not con- 
tradictory terms, as some may think. 

Therefore read up in the catalogues about the 
shrubs you propose to make use of before you 
give them a permanent place in the yard. 

Also, take a look ahead. 

The plant you procure from the nursery will 
be small. So small, indeed, that if you leave 
eight or ten feet between it and the next one you 
set out, it will look so lonesome that it excites 
your pity, and you may be induced to plant 
another in the unfilled space to keep it company. 
But in doing this you will be making a great 
mistake. Three or four years from now the 
bushes will have run together to such an extent 
that each plant has lost its individuality. There 
will be a thicket of branches which will con- 
stantly interfere with each other's well being, and 

53 



SHRUBS 



prevent healthy development. If you take the 
look ahead which I have advised, you will antici- 
pate the development of the shrub, and plant 
for the future rather than the immediate present. 
Be content to let the grounds look rather naked 
for a time. Three or four years ^vill remedy 
that defect. You can plant perennials and an- 
nuals between them, temporarily, if you want the 
space filled. It will be understood that what has 
been said in this paragraph applies to different 
Jiiiids of shrubs set as single specimens, and not 
to those planted on the " grouping " system. 

In planting shrubs, the rule given for trees 
applies quite fully. Have the hole for them 
large enough to admit of spreading out their 
roots naturally. You can tell about this by set- 
ting the shrub down upon the ground after un- 
wrapping it, and watching the way in which it 
disposes of its roots. They will spread out on 
all sides as they did before the plant was taken 
from the ground. This is what they should be 
allowed to do in their new quarters. ISIany per- 
sons dig what resembles a post-hole more than 
anything else, and crowd the roots of the shrub 
into it, ^vithout making any effort to loosen or 
straighten them out, dump in some lumpy soil, 
trample it down roughly, and call the work done. 

54 



SHRUBS 



Done it is, after a fashion, but those who love 
the plants they set out — those who want fine 
shrubs and expect them to grow well from the 
beginning — never plant in that way. Spread 
the roots out on all sides, cover them with fine, 
mellow soil, settle this into compactness with a 
liberal application of water, then fill up the hole, 
and cover the surface with a mulch of some kind. 
Treated in this way not one shrub in a hundred 
will fail to grow, if it has good roots. What was 
said about cutting olF the ends on injured roots, 
in the chapter on planting trees, applies with 
equal pertinence here. Also, about keeping the 
roots covered until you are ready to put the plant 
into the ground. A shrub is a tree on a small 
scale, and should receive the same kind of treat- 
ment so far as planting goes. These instructions 
may seem trifling, but they are really matters of 
great importance, as every amateur will find 
after a little experience. A large measure of 
one's success depends on how closely we follow 
out the little hints and suggestions along these 
lines in the cultivation of all kinds of plants. 

Among our best large shrubs, suitable for 
planting at the rear of the lot, or in the back 
row of a group, is the Lilac. The leading varie- 
ties will grow to a height of ten or twelve feet, 

55 



SHRUBS 



and can be made to take on bush form if desired, 
or can be trained as a small tree. If the bush 
form is preferred, cut off the top of the plant, 
when small, and allow several branches to start 
from its base. If you prefer a tree, keep the 
plant to one straight stem until it reaches the 
height where you want the head to form. Then 
cut off its top. Branches will start below. 
Leave only those near the top of the stem. These 
will develop and form the head you want. I 
consider the Lilac one of our very best shrubs, 
because of its entire hardiness, its rapid develop- 
ment, its early flowering habit, its beauty, its 
fragrance, and the little attention needed by it. 
Keep the soil about it rich, and mow off the 
suckers that will spring up about the parent 
plant in great numbers each season, and it will 
ask no more of you. The chief objection urged 
against it is its tendency to sucker so freely. If 
let alone, it will soon become a nuisance, but 
with a little attention this disagreeable habit can 
be overcome. I keep the ground about my plants 
free from suckers by the use of the lawn-mower. 
They can be cut as easily as grass when young 
and small. 

If there is a more beautiful shrub than the 
white Lilac I do not know what it is. For cut- 

56 



SHRUBS 



flower work it is as desirable as the Lily of the 
Valley, which is the only flower I can compare it 
with in delicate beauty, purity, and sweetness. 

iThe Persian is very pleasing for front posi- 
tions, because of its compact, spreading habit, 
and its slender, graceful manner of branching 
close to the ground. It is a very free bloomer, 
and a bush five or six feet high, and as many 
feet across, will often have hundreds of plume- 
like tufts of bloom, of a dark purple showing 
a decided violet tint. 

The double varieties are lovely beyond descrip- 
tion. At a little distance the difference between 
the doubles and singles will not be very notice- 
. able, but at close range the beauty of the former 
will be apparent. Their extra petals give them 
an airy grace, a feathery lightness, which the 
shorter-spiked kinds do not have. By all means 
have a rosy-purple double variety, and a double 
white. No garden that lives up to its privileges 
will be without them. If I could have but one 
shrub, I think my choice would be a white Lilac. 

Another shrub of tall and stately habit is the 
old Snowball. When well grown, few shrubs can 
surpass it in beauty. Its great balls of bloom 
are composed of scores of individually, small 
flowers, and they are borne in such profusion 

5T 



SHRUBS 



that the branches often bend beneath their 
weight. Of late years there has been widespread 
complaint of failure with this plant, because of 
the attack of aphides. These little green plant- 
lice locate themselves on the underside of the ten- 
der foliage, before it is fully developed, and cause 
it to curl in an unsightly way. The harm is 
done by these pests sucking the juices from the 
leaf. I have had no difficulty in preventing them 
from injuring my bushes since I began the use 
of the insecticide sold by the florists under the 
name of Nicoticide. If this is applied as directed 
on the can in which it is put up, two or three 
applications will entirely rid the plant of the in- 
sects, and they ^vill not return after being driven . 
away by anything as disagreeable to them as a 
nicotine extract. Great care must be taken to see 
that the application gets to the underside of the 
foliage where the pests will establish themselves. 
This is a matter of the greatest importance, for, 
in order to rout them, it is absolutely necessary 
that you get the nicotine where they are. Simply 
sprinkling it over the bush will do very little 
good. 

The Spirea is one of the loveliest of all shrubs. 
Its flowers are exquisite in their daintiness, and 
so freely produced that the bush is literally cov- 

58 



SHRUBS 



ered with them. And the habit of the bush is 
grace itself, and this without any attention what- 
ever from you in the way of training. In fact, 
attempt to train a Spirea and the chances are 
that you will spoil it. Let it do its own training, 
and the result will be all that you or any one 
else could ask for. There are several varieties, 
as you ^vill see when you consult the dealers' 
catalogues. Some are double, some single, some 
white, some pink. Among the most desirable 
for general culture I would name Van Houteii, 
a veritable fountain of pure white blossoms in 
May and June, Prunifolia, better known as 
" Bridal Wreath," with double white flowers, 
Billardi, pink, and Fortuneiy delicate, bright rose- 
color. 

The Spireas are excellent shrubs for grouping, 
especially when the white and pink varieties are 
used together. This shrub is very hardy, and 
of the easiest culture, and I can recommend it 
to the amateur, feeling confident that it will never 
fail to please. 

Quite as popular as the Spirea is the Deutzia, 
throughout the middle section of the northern 
states. Farther north it is likely to winter-kill 
badly. That is, many of its branches will be in- 
jured to such an extent that they will have to 

59 



SHRUBS 



be cut away to within a foot or two of the ground, 
thus interfering with a free production of 
flowers. The blossoms of this shrub are of a 
tasselly bell-shape, produced thickly all along 
the slender branches, in June. Candidissima is 
a double white, very striking and desirable. 
Gracilis is the most daintily beautiful member 
of the family, all things considered. Discolor 
grandiflora is a variety with large double blos- 
soms, tinted with pink on the reverse of the 
petals. 

The Weigelia is a lovely shrub. There are 
white, pink, and carmine varieties. The flowers, 
which are trumpet-shaped, are borne in spikes 
in which bloom and foliage are so delightfully 
mixed that the result is a spray of great beauty. 
A strong plant will be a solid mass of color for 
weeks. 

An excellent, low-growing, early flowering 
shrub is Pyrus Japonica, better known as Japan 
Quince. It is one of our earliest bloomers. Its 
flowers are of the most intense, fiery scarlet. 
This is one of our best plants for front rows in 
the shrubbery, and is often used as a low hedge. 

One of our loveliest little shrubs is Daphne 
CneoruTYiy oftener known as the " Garland 
Flower." Its blossoms are borne in small clus- 

60 



SHRUBS 



ters at the extremity of the stalks. They are a 
soft pink, and very sweet. The habit of the 
plant is low and spreading. While this is not 
as showy as many of our shrubs, it is one that 
will win your friendship, because of its modest 
beauty, and will keep a place in your garden in- 
definitely after it has once been given a place 
there. 

Eerberis — ^the " Barberry " of " Grand- 
mother's garden " — ^is a most satisfactory shrub, 
for several reasons: It is hardy everywhere. The 
white, yellow, and orange flowers of the different 
varieties are showy in spring; in fall the foliage 
colors finely; and through the greater part of 
winter the scarlet, blue and black berries are 
extremely pleasing. Thunhergii is a dwarf 
variety, with yellow flowers, followed by vivid 
scarlet fruit. In autumn, the foliage changes to 
scarlet and gold, and makes the bush as attractive 
as if covered with flowers. This is an excellent 
variety for a low hedge. 

Exochorda grandiflora, better known as 
" Pearl Bush," is one of the most distinctively 
ornamental shrubs in cultivation. It grows to a 
height of seven to ten feet, and can be pruned 
to almost any desirable shape. The buds, which 
come early in the season, look like pearls strung 

61 



SHRUBS 



on fine green threads — Whence the popular name 
of the plant — and these open into flowers of the 
purest white. A fine shrub for the background 
of a border. 

Forsythia is a splendid old shrub growing to a 
height of eight to ten feet. Its flowers appear 
before its leaves are out, and are of such a rich, 
shining yellow that they light up the garden like 
a bonfire. The flowers are bell-shaped, hence 
the popular name of the plant, " Golden Bell." 

Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora is a very 
general favorite because of its great hardiness, 
profusion of flowers, ease of cultivation, and 
habit of late blooming. It is too well known to 
need description. 

Robinia Mspida, sometimes called Rose Aca- 
cia, is a native species of the Locust. It has 
long, drooping, very lovely clusters of pea- 
shaped flowers of a soft pink color. It will grow 
in the poorest soil and stand more neglect than 
any other shrub I have knowledge of. But be- 
cause it can do this is no reason why it should 
be asked to do it. Give it good treatment and 
it will do so much better for you than it possibly 
can under neglect, that it will seem like a new 
variety of an old plant. 

The Flowering Currant is a delightful shrub, 

62 



SHRUBS 



and one that anyone can grow, and one that will 
flourish anywhere. It is very pleasing in habit, 
without any attention in the way of training. 
Its branches spread gracefully in all directions 
from the centre of the bush, and grow to a length 
of six or seven feet. Early in the season they are 
covered with bright yellow flowers of a spicy and 
delicious fragrance. In fall the bush takes on a 
rich coloring of crimson and gold, and is really 
much showier then than when in bloom, in spring. 

Sambucus aure a— the Golden Elder — is one 
of the showiest shrubs in cultivation, and its 
showy feature is its foliage. Let alone, it grows 
to be a very large bush, but judicious pruning 
keeps it within bounds, for small grounds. It 
makes an excellent background for such bril- 
liantly colored flowers as the Dahlia, Salvia 
splendem, or scarlet Geraniums. It deserves a 
place in all collections. Our native Cut-Leaved 
Elder is one of the most beautiful ornaments any 
place can have. It bears enormous cymes of 
delicate, lace-like, fragrant flowers in June and 
July. These are followed by purple berries, 
which make the bush as attractive as when in 
bloom. 

The Syringa, or Mock Orange, is one of our 
favorites. It grows to a height of eight and ten 

63 



SHRUBS 



feet and is therefore well adapted to places in 
the back row, or in the rear of the garden. Its 
flowers, which are borne in great profusion, are 
a creamy white, and very sweet-scented. 

The double-flowered Plum is a most lovely 
shrub. It blooms early in spring, before its 
leaves are out. Its flowers are very double, and 
of a delicate pink, and are produced in such pro- 
fusion that the entire plant seems under a pink 
cloud. 

Another early bloomer, somewhat similar to 
the Plum, is the Flowering Almond, an old 
favorite. This, however, is of slender habit, and 
should be given a place in the front row. Its 
lovely pink-and-white flowers are borne all along 
the gracefully arching stalks, making them look 
like wreaths of bloom that Nature had not fin- 
ished by fastening them together in chaplet form. 

It is not to be understood that the list given 
above includes all the desirable varieties of shrubs 
suited to amateur culture. It does, however, in- 
clude the cream of the list for general-purpose 
gardening. There are many other kinds that 
are well worth a place in any garden, but some 
of them are inclined to be rather too tender for 
use at the north, without protection, and others 
require a treatment which they will not be likely 
to get from the amateur gardener, therefore I 

64 



SHRUBS 



would not advise the beginner in shrub-growing 
to undertake their culture. 

Many an amateur gardener labors under the 
impression that all shrubs must be given an an- 
nual pruning. He doesn't know just how he 
got this impression, but — he has it. He looks his 
shrubs over, and sees no actual necessity for the 
use of the knife, but — pruning must be done, and 
he cuts here, and there, and everywhere, without 
any definite aim in view, simply because he feels 
that something of the kind is demanded of him. 
This is where a great mistake is made. So long 
as a shrub is healthy and pleasing in shape let 
it alone. It is not necessary that it should pre- 
sent the same appearance from all points of 
view. That would be to make it formal, prim — 
anything but graceful. Go into the fields and 
forests and take lessons from Nature, the one 
gardener who makes no mistakes. Her shrubs 
are seldom regular in outline, but they are beau- 
tiful, all the same, and graceful, every one of 
them, with a grace that is the result of infor- 
mality and naturalness. Therefore never prune 
a shrub unless it really needs it, and let the need 
be determined by something more than mere lack 
of uniformity in its development. Much of the 
charm of Nature's workmanship is the result of 
irregularity which never does violence to the 

5 $5 



SHRUBS 



laws of symmetry and grace. Study the way- 
side shrub until you discover the secret of it, and 
apply the knowledge thus gained to the manage- 
ment of your home garden. 

Shrubs can be set in fall or spring. Some per- 
sons will tell you that spring planting is prefer- 
able, and give you good reasons for their prefer- 
ence. Others will advance what seem to be 
equally good reasons for preferring to plant in 
fall. So far as my experience goes, I see but 
little difference in results. 

By planting in spring, you get your shrub 
into the ground before it begins to grow. 

By planting in fall, you get it into the ground 
after it has completed its annual growth. 

You will have to be governed by circum- 
stances, and do the best you can under them, and 
you will find, I feel quite sure, that good results 
will come from planting at either season. 

If you plant in spring, do not defer the work 
until after your plants have begun growing. Do 
it as soon as the frost is out of the ground. 

If in fall, do it as soon as possible after the 
plant has fully completed the growth of the 
season, and " ripened off,'' as we say. In other 
words, is in that dormant condition which follows 
the completion of its yearly work. This will be 
shown by the falling of its leaves. 

66 



SHRUBS 



Never starve a shrub while it is small and 
young, under the impression that, because it is 
small, it doesn't make much difference how you 
use it. It makes all the difference in the world. 
Much of its future usefulness depends on the 
treatment it receives at this period. What you 
w^ant to do is to give it a good start. And after 
it gets well started, keep it going steadily ahead. 
Allow no grass or weeds to grow close to it and 
force it to dispute with them for its share of 
nutriment in the soil about its roots. 

It is a good plan to spread a bushel or more 
of coarse litter about each shrub in fall. Not 
because it needs protection in the sense that a 
tender plant needs it, but because a mulch keeps 
the frost from working harm at its roots, and 
saves to the plant that amount of vital force 
which it would be obliged to expend upon itself 
if it w^ere left to take care of itself. For it is 
true that even our hardiest plants suffer a good 
deal in the fight with cold, though they may not 
seem to be much injured by it. Mulch some of 
them, and leave some of them without a mulch, 
and notice the difference between the two when 
spring comes. If you do this, I feel sure you 
will give all of them the mulch-treatment every 
season thereafter. 

m 



VINES 



HOME without vines is like 
a home without children — ^it 
lacks the very thing that 
ought to be there to make 
it most delightful and home- 
like. 

A good vine — and we 
have many such — soon becomes " like one of 
the family." Year after year it continues to 
develop, covering unsightly places v^ith its 
beauty of leaf and bloom, and hiding defects that 
can be hidden satisfactorily in no other way. 
All of us have seen houses that were positively 
ugly in appearance before vines were planted 
about them, that became pleasant and attractive 
as soon as the vines had a chance to show what 
they could do in the way of covering up ugliness. 

There are few among our really good vines 
that will not continue to give satisfaction for an 
indefinite period if given a small amount of 
attention each season. I can think of none that 
are not better when ten or twelve years old than 
they are two and three years after planting — 

68 




VINES 



healthier, stronger, like a person who has " got 
his growth " and arrived at that period when all 
the elements of manhood are fully developed. 
Young vines may be as pleasing as old ones, as 
far as they go, but — the objection is that they 
do not go far enough. The value of a vine de- 
pends largely on size, and size depends largely 
on age. During the early stage of a vine's exist- 
ence it is making promise of future grace and 
beauty, and we must give it plenty of time in 
which to make that promise good. We must also 
give such care as will make it not only possible 
but easy to fulfil this promise to the fullest extent. 

While many vines will live on indefinitely 
imder neglect, they cannot do themselves justice 
under such conditions, as any one will find who 
plants one and leaves it to look out for itself. 
But be kind to it, show it that you care for it 
and have its welfare at heart, and it will surprise 
and delight you with its rapidity of growth, 
and the beauty it is capable of imparting to 
everything with which it comes in contact. For 
it seems impossible for a vine to grow anywhere 
without making everything it touches beautiful. 
It is possessor of the magic which transforms 
plain things into loveliness. 

If I were obliged to choose between vines and 

69 



VINES 



shrubs — and I am very glad that I do not have 
to do so — I am quite sure I would choose the 
former. I can hardly explain how it is, but we 
seem to get on more intimate terms with a vine 
than we do with a shrub. Probably it is because 
it grows so close to the dwelling, as a general 
thing, that we come to think of it as a part of the 
home. 

Vines planted close to the house walls often 
fail to do well, because they do not have a good 
soil to spread their roots in. The soil thrown 
out from the cellar, or in making an excavation 
for the foundation walls, is almost always hard, 
and deficient in nutriment. In order to make it 
fit for use a liberal amount of sand and loam 
ought to be added to it, and mixed with it so 
thoroughly that it becomes a practically new soil. 
At the same time manure should be given in gen- 
erous quantity. If this is done, a poor soil can 
be made over into one that will give most ex- 
cellent results. One application of manure, how- 
ever, will not be sufficient. In one season, a 
strong, healthy vine will use up all the elements 
of plant-growth, and more should be supplied to 
meet the demands of the following year. In 
other words, vines should be manured each season 
if they are expected to keep in good health and 

70 



VINES 



continue to develop. If barnyard manure can- 
not be obtained, use bonemeal of which I so often 
speak in this book. I consider it the best substi- 
tute for barnyard f ertihzer that I have ever used, 
for all kinds of plants. 

The best, all-round vine for general use, 
allowing me to be judge, is Ampelopsis, better 
known throughout the country as American Ivy, 
or Virginia Creeper. It is of exceedingly rapid 
growth, often sending out branches twenty feet 
in length in a season, after it has become well 
established. It clings to stone, wood, or brick, 
with equal facility, and does not often require 
any support except such as it secures for itself. 
There are two varieties. One has flat, sucker- 
like discs, which hold themselves tightly against 
whatever surface they come in contact with, on 
the principle of suction. The other has tendrils 
which clasp themselves about anything they can 
grasp, or force themselves into cracks and crev- 
ices in such a manner as to furnish all the sup- 
port the vine needs. So far as foliage and gen- 
eral habit goes, there is not much difference 
between these two varieties, but the variety with 
disc-supports colors up most beautifully in fall. 
The foliage of both is very luxuriant. When 
the green of summer gives way to the scarlet and 

71 



VINES 



maroon of autumn, the entire plant seems to 
have changed its leaves for flowers, so brilliant 
is its coloring. There is but one objection to be 
urged against this plant, and that is — its ten- 
dency to rampant growth. Let it have its way 
and it will cover windows as well as walls, and 
fling its festoons across doorway and porch. 
This will have to be prevented by clipping away 
all branches that show an inclination to run riot, 
and take possession of places where no vines are 
needed. When you discover a branch starting 
out in the wrong direction, cut it off* at once. A 
little attention of this kind during the growing 
period will save the trouble of a general pruning 
later on. 

Vines, like children, should be trained while 
growing if you would have them aff*ord satis- 
faction when grown. 

The Ampelopsis will climb to the roof of a two- 
story house in a short time, and throw out its 
branches freely as it makes its upward growth, 
and this without any training or pruning. Be- 
cause of its ability to take care of itself in these 
respects, as well as because of its great beauty, I 
do not hesitate to call it the best of all vines for 
general use. It will grow in all soils except clear 
sand, it is as hardy as it is possible for a vine to be, 
and so far as my experience with it goes — ^and I 

72 




HONEYSUCKLE 



VINES 



have grown it for the last twenty years — it has no 
diseases. 

For verandas and porches the Honeysuckles 
will probably afford better satisfaction because 
of their less rampant habit. Also because of the 
beauty and the fragrance of their flowers. Many 
varieties are all-summer bloomers. The best of 
these are Scarlet Trumpet and Halleana. The 
vines can be trained over trellises, or large- 
meshed wire netting, or tacked to posts, as suits 
the taste of the owner. In whatever manner you 
train them they lend grace and beauty to a porch 
without shutting off the outlook wholly, as their 
foliage is less plentiful than that of most vines. 
This vine is of rapid development, and so hardy 
that it requires very little attention in the way 
of protection in winter. The variety called Scar- 
let Trumpet has scarlet and orange flowers. 
Halleana has almost evergreen foliage and 
cream-white flowers of most delightful fra- 
grance. Both can be trained up together with 
very pleasing effect. There are other good sorts, 
but I consider that these two combine all the best 
features of the entire list, therefore I would ad- 
vise the amateur gardener to concentrate his 
attention on them instead of spreading it out 
over inferior kinds. 

Every lover of flowers who sees the hybrid 

73 



VINES 



varieties of Clematis in bloom is sure to want to 
grow them. They are very beautiful, it is true, 
and few plants are more satisfactory when well 
grown. But — there's the rub — ^to grow them 
well. 

The variety known as Jackmani, with dark 
purple-blue flowers, is most likely to succeed 
under amateur culture, but of late years it has 
been quite unsatisfactory. Plants of it grow well 
during the early part of the season, but all at 
once blight strikes them, and they wither in a 
day, as if something had attacked the root, and 
in a short time they are dead. This has discour- 
aged the would-be growers of the large-flowered 
varieties — for all of them seem to be subject to 
the same disease. What this disease is no one 
seems able to say, and, so far, no remedy for it 
has been advanced. 

But in Clematis paniculata we have a 
variety that I consider superior in every respect 
to the large-flowered kinds, and to date no one 
has reported any trouble with it. It is of strong 
and healthy growth, and rampant in its habit, 
thus making it useful where the large-flowered 
kinds have proved defective, as none of them are 
of what may be called free growth. They grow 
to a height of seven or eight feet — sometimes ten, 

74 



VINES 



— but have few branches, and sparse foliage. 
Faniculata, on the contrary, makes a very vigor- 
ous growth — often twenty feet in a season — and 
its fohage, unhke that of the other varieties, is 
attractive enough in itself to make the plant well 
worth growing. It is a rich, glossy green, and 
so freely produced that it furnishes a dense 
shade. Late in the season, after most other 
plants are in " the sere and yellow leaf " it is 
literally covered with great panicles of starry 
white flowers which have a delightful fragrance. 
While this variety lacks the rich color of such 
varieties as Jackmani and others of the hybrid 
class, it is really far more beautiful. Indeed, I 
know of no flowering vine that can equal it in this 
respect. Its late-flowering habit adds greatly 
to its value. It is not only healthy, but hardy — 
a quality no one can afford to overlook when 
planting vines about the house. Like Clematis 
flammula, a summer-blooming relative of great 
value both for its beauty and because it is a 
native, it is likely to die pretty nearly to the 
ground in winter, but, because of rapid growth, 
this is not much of an objection. By the time the 
flowers of either variety are likely to come in 
for a fair share of appreciation, the vines will 
have grown to good size. 

75 



VINES 



For the middle and southern sections of the 
northern states the Wistaria is a most desirable 
vine, but at the north it cannot be depended on 
to survive the winter in a condition that will 
enable it to give a satisfactory crop of flowers. 
Its roots will live, but most of its branches will 
be killed each season. 

Ampelopsis Veitchii^moTe commonly known as 
Boston or Japan Ivy, is a charming vine to train 
over brick and stone walls in localities where it 
is hardy, because of its dense habit of growth. 
Its foliage is smaller than that of the native 
Ampelopsis, and it is far less rampant in growth, 
though a free grower. It will completely cover 
the walls of a building with its dark green foliage, 
every shoot clinging so closely that a person see- 
ing the plant for the first time would get the 
idea that it had been shorn of all its branches 
except those adhering to the wall. All its 
branches attach themselves to the wall-surface, 
thus giving an even, uniform effect quite unlike 
that of other vines which throw out branches in 
all directions, regardless of wall or trellis. In 
autumn this variety takes on a rich coloring that 
must be seen to be fully appreciated. 

Our native Celastrus, popularly known as Bit- 
tersweet, is a very desirable vine if it can be 

76 



VINES 



given something to twine itself about. It has 
neither tendril nor disc, and supports itself by 
twisting its new growth about trees over which it 
clambers, branches — anything that it can wind 
about. If no other support is to be found it will 
twist about itself in such a manner as to form 
a great rope of branches. It has attractive 
foliage, but the chief beauty of the vine is its 
clusters of pendant fruit, which hang to the plant 
well into winter. This fruit is a berry of bright 
crimson, enclosed in an orange shell which cracks 
open, in three pieces, and becomes reflexed, thus 
disclosing the berry within. As these berries 
grow in clusters of good size, and are very freely 
produced, the eff ect of a large plant can be imag- 
ined. In fall the foliage turns to a pure gold, 
and forms a most pleasing background for the 
scarlet and orange clusters to display themselves 
against. The plant is of extremely rapid growth. 
It has a habit of spreading rapidly, and widely, 
by sending out underground shoots which come 
to the surface many feet away from the parent 
plant. These must be kept mowed down or they 
will become a nuisance. 

Flower-loving people are often impatient of 
results, and I am often asked what annual I 
would advise one to make use of, for immediate 

77 



VINES 



effect, or while the hardy vines are getting a 
start. I know of nothing better, all things con- 
sidered, than the Morning Glory, of which men- 
tion will be found elsewhere. 

The Flowering Bean is a pretty vine for train- 
ing up about verandas, but does not grow to a 
sufficient height to make it of much value else- 
where. It is fine for covering low trellises or a 
fence. 

The " climbing " Nasturtiums are not really 
climbers. Rather plants with such long and 
slender branches that they must be given some 
support to keep them from straggling all over 
the ground. They are very pleasing when used 
to cover fences, low screens, and trellises, or when 
trained along the railing of the veranda. 

The Kudzu Vine is of wonderful rapidity of 
growth, and will be found a good substitute for 
a hardy vine about piazzas and porches. 

Aristolochia, or Dutchman's Pipe, is a hardy 
vine of more than ordinary merit. It has large, 
overlapping leaves that furnish a dense shade, 
and very peculiar flowers — more peculiar, in fact, 
than beautiful. 

Bignonia will give satisfaction south of Chi- 
cago, in most localities. Where it stands the 
winter it is a favorite on account of its great 

78 



VINES 



profusion of orange-scarlet flowers and its 
pretty, finely-cut foliage. Farther north it will 
live on indefinitely, like the Wistaria, but its 
branches will nearly always be badly killed in 
winter. 

It is a mistake to make use of strips of cloth 
in fastening vines to walls, as so many are in the 
habit of doing, because the cloth vdll soon rot, 
and when a strong wind comes along, or after a 
heavy rain, the vines will be torn from their 
places, and generally it will be found impossible 
to replace them satisfactorily. Cloth and twine 
may answer well enough for annual vines, with 
the exception of the Morning Glory, but vines 
of heavy growth should be fastened with strips 
of leather passed about the main stalks and 
nailed to the wall securely. Do not use a small 
tack, as the weight of the vines will often tear it 
loose from the wood. Do not make the leather 
so tight that it will interfere with the circulation 
of sap in the plant. Allow space for future 
growth. Some persons use iron staples, but I 
would not advise them as they are sure to chafe 
the branches they are used to support. 

The question is often asked if vines are not 
harmful to the walls over which they are trained. 
I have never found them so. On the contrary, I 

79 



VINES 



have found walls that had been covered with 
vines for years in a better state of preservation 
than walls on which no vines had ever been 
trained. The explanation is a simple one: The 
leaves of the vines act in the capacity of shingles, 
and shed rain, thus keeping it from getting to the 
walls of the building. 

But I would not advise training vines over the 
roof, unless it is constructed of slate or some 
material not injured by dampness, because the 
moisture will get below the foliage, where the sun 
cannot get at it, and long-continued dampness 
will soon bring on decay. 

On account of the difficulty of getting at them, 
vines are never pruned to any great extent, but 
it would be for the betterment of them if they 
were gone over every year, and all the oldest 
branches cut away, or thinned out enough to 
admit of a free circulation of air. If this were 
done, the vine would be constantly renewing 
itself, and most kinds would be good for a life- 
time. It really is not such a difficult undertak- 
ing as most people imagine, for by the use of an 
ordinary ladder one can get at most parts of a 
building, and reach such portions of the vines 
as need attention most. 



THE HARDY BORDER 




HE most satisfactory garden 
of flowering plants for small 
places, all things considered, 
is one composed of hardy 
herbaceous perennials and 
biennials. 



This for several reasons: 



1st. — Once thoroughly established they are 
good for an indefinite period. 

2d. — It is not necessary to " make garden " 
annually, as is the case where annuals are de- 
pended on. 

3d. — They require less care than any other 
class of plants. 

4th. — Requiring less care than other plants, 
they are admirably adapted to the needs of those 
who can devote only a limited amount of time 
to gardening. 

5th. — They include some of the most beautiful 
plants we have. 

6th. — By a judicious selection of kinds it is 
possible to have flowers from them from early in 
spring till late in fall. 

6 81 



THE HARDY BORDER 



I have no disposition to say disparaging things 
about the garden of annuals. Annuals are very 
desirable. Some of them are absolutely indis- 
pensable. But they call for a great deal of labor. 
It is hard work to spade the ground, and make 
the beds, and sow the seed, and keep the weeds 
down. This work must be done year after year. 
But with hardy plants this is not the case. Con- 
siderable labor may be called for, the first year, 
in preparing the ground and setting out the 
plants, but the most of the work done among 
them, after that, can be done with the hoe, and 
it will take so little time to do it that you will 
wonder how you ever came to think annuals the 
only plants for the flower-garden of busy people. 
That this is what a great many persons think is 
true, but it is because they have not had sufficient 
experience with hardy plants to fully understand 
their merits, and the small amount of care they 
require. A season's experience will convince 
them of their mistake. 

In preparing the ground for the reception of 
these plants, spade it up to the depth of a foot 
and a half, at least, and work into it a liberal 
amount of good manure, or some commercial fer- 
tilizer that will take the place of manure from 
the barnyard or cow-stable. Most perennials 

6^ 



THE HARDY BORDER 



and herbaceous plants will do fairly well in a 
soil of only moderate richness, but they cannot 
do themselves justice in it. They ought not to be 
expected to. To secure the best results from 
them — and you ought to be satisfied with noth- 
ing less — feed them well. Give them a good 
start, at the time of planting, and keep them up 
to a high standard of vitality by liberal feeding, 
and they will surprise and delight you with the 
profusion and beauty of their bloom. 

Perennials will not bloom till the second year 
from seed. Therefore, if you want flowers from 
them the first season, it will be necessary for you 
to purchase last season's seedlings from the 
florist. 

In most neighborhoods one can secure enough 
material to stock the border from friends who 
have old plants that need to be divided, or by 
exchanging varieties. 

But if you want plants of any particular color, 
or of a certain variety, you will do well to give 
your order to a dealer. In most gardens five or 
six years old the original varieties will either 
have died out or so deteriorated that the stock 
you obtain there will be inferior in many respects, 
therefore not at all satisfactory to one who is in- 
clined to be satisfied with nothing but the best. 

83 



THE HARDY BORDER 



The " best " is what the dealer will send you if 
you patronize one who has established a reputa- 
tion for honesty. 

The impression prevails, to a great extent, that 
perennials bloom only for a very short time in 
the early part of the season. This is a mistake. 
If you select your plants with a view to the pro- 
longation of the flowering period, you can have 
flowers throughout the season from this class of 
plants. Of course not all of them will bloom at 
the same time. I would not be understood as 
meaning that. But what I do mean is — that by 
choosing for a succession of bloom it is possible 
to secure kinds whose flowering periods will meet 
and overlap each other in such a manner that 
some of them will be in bloom most of the time. 
Many kinds bloom long before the earliest an- 
nuals are ready to begin the work of the season. 
Others are in their prime at midsummer, and 
later ones will give flowers until frost comes. If 
you read up the catalogues and familiarize your- 
self with the habits of the plants which the dealer 
offers for sale, you can make a selection that will 
keep the garden gay from May to November. 

On the ordinary home-lot there is not much 
choice allowed as to the location of the border. 
It must go to the sides of the lot if it starts in 

84 



THE HARDY BORDER 



front of the house, or it may be located at the 
rear of the dwelling. On most grounds it will, 
after a little, occupy both of these positions, for 
it will outgrow its early limitations in a few 
years. You will be constantly adding to it, and 
thus it comes about that the border that begins on 
each side of the lot will overflow to the rear. 

I would never advise locating it in front of 
the dwelling. Leave the lawn unbroken there. 
While there is not much opportunity for 
"effect" on small grounds, a departure from 
straight lines can always be made, and formality 
and primness be avoided to a considerable de- 
gree. Let the inner edge of the border curve, 
as shown in the illustration accompanying this 
chapter, and the result will be a hundred-fold 
more pleasing than it would be if it were a 
straight line. Curves are always graceful, and 
indentations here and there enable you to secure 
new points of view that add vastly to the general 
efF ect. They make the border seem larger than 
it really is because only a portion of it is seen at 
the same time, as would not be the case if it were 
made up of straight rows of plants, with the same 
width throughout. 

By planting low-growing kinds in front, and 
backing them up with kinds of a taller growth, 

85 



THE HARDY BORDER 



with the very tallest growers in the rear, the 
effect of a bank of flowers and foliage can be 
secured. This the illustration clearly shows. 

Shrubbery can be used in connection with 
perennials with most satisfactory results. This, 
as the reader will see, was done on the grounds 
from which the picture was taken. Here we have 
a combination which cannot fail to afford pleas- 
ure. I would not advise any home-maker to con- 
fine his border to plants of one class. Use shrubs 
and perennials together, and scatter annuals here 
and there, and have bulbs all along the border's 
edge. 

I want to call particular attention to one thing 
which the picture under consideration emphasizes 
very forcibly, and that is — the unstudied infor- 
mality of it. It seems to have planned itself. It 
is like one of ISTature's fence-corner bits of gar- 
dening. 

For use in the background we have several 
most excellent plants. The Delphinium — Lark- 
spur — grows to a height of seven or eight feet, 
in rich soil, sending up a score or more of stout 
stalks from each strong clump of roots. Two 
or three feet of the upper part of these stalks 
will be solid with a mass of flowers of the richest, 
most intense blue imaginable. I know of no 

86 



THE HARDY BORDER 



other flower of so deep and striking a shade of 
this rather rare color in the garden. In order 
to guard against injury from strong winds, stout 
stakes should be set about each clump, and 
wound with wire or substantial cord to prevent 
the flowering stalks from being broken down. 
There is a white variety, CMnenm^ that is most 
efl* ective when used in combination with the blue, 
which you will find catalogued as Delphinium 
formosum. If several strong clumps are 
grouped together, the effect will be magnificent 
when the plants are in full bloom. By cutting 
away the old stalks as soon as they have devel- 
oped all their flowers, new ones can be coaxed 
to grow, and under this treatment the plants can 
be kept in bloom for many weeks. 

" Golden Glow " Rudbeckia is quite as strong 
a grower as the Delphinium, and a more prolific 
bloomer does not exist. It will literally cover 
itself with flowers of the richest golden yellow, 
resembling in shape and size those of the " deco- 
rative " type of Dahlia. This plant is a very 
strong grower, and so aggressive that it will dis- 
pute possession with any plant near it, and on 
this account it should never be given a place 
where it can interfere with choice varieties. Let 
it have its own way and it will cuowd out even the 

87 



THE HARDY BORDER 



grass of the lawn. Its proper place is in the 
excreme background, well to the rear, where dis- 
tance will lend enchantment to the view. It 
must not be inferred from this that it is too coarse 
a flower to give a front place to. It belongs to 
the rear simply because of its aggressive quali- 
ties, and the intense effect of its strong, all-per- 
vading color. You do not want a flower in the 
front row that, being given an inch, will straight- 
way insist upon taking an ell. This the Rud- 
beckia will do, every time, if not promptly 
checked. It is an exceedingly valuable plant to 
cut from, as its flowers last for days, and light 
up a room like a great burst of strong sunshine. 

Hollyhocks must have a place in every border. 
Their stately habit, profusion of bloom, wonder- 
ful range and richness of color, and long-contin- 
ued flowering period make them indispensable 
and favorites everywhere. They are most effec- 
tive when grown in large masses or groups. If 
they are prevented from ripening seed, they will 
bloom throughout the greater part of the season. 
The single varieties are of the tallest, stateliest 
growth, therefore admirably adapted to back 
rows in the border. The double kinds work in 
well in front of them. These are the showiest 
members of the family because their flowers are 

88 



THE HARDY BORDER 



so tliickly set along the stalk that a stronger 
color-elFect is given, but they are really no finer 
than the single sorts, so far as general effect is 
concerned. Indeed, I think I prefer the single 
kinds because the rich and peculiar markings of 
the individual flower show to much better ad- 
vantage in them than in the doubles, whose multi- 
plicity of petals hides this very pleasing variega- 
tion. But I would not care to go without either 
kind. 

Coreopsis lanceolata is a very charming plant 
for front rows, especially if it can have a place 
where it is given the benefit of contrast with a 
white flower, like the Daisy. In such a location 
its rich golden yellow comes out brilliantly, and 
makes a most effective point of color in the 
border. 

Perennial Phlox, all things considered, de- 
serves a place very near ta the head of the list of 
our very best hardy plants. Perhaps if a vote 
were taken, it would be elected as leader of its 
class in point of merit. It is so entirely hardy, 
so sturdy and self-reliant, so wonderfully florif- 
erous, and so rich and varied in color that it is 
almost an ideal plant for border-use. It varies 
greatly in habit. Some varieties attain a height 
of five feet or more. Others are low gi'owers, — 

89 



THE HARDY BORDER 



almost dwarfs, in fact, — ^therefore well adapted 
to places in the very front row, and close to the 
path. The majority are of medimn habit, fitting 
into the middle rows most effectively. With a 
little care in the selection of varieties — depend- 
ing on the florists' catalogues to give us the 
height of each — it is an easy matter to arrange 
the various sorts in such a way as to form a bank 
which will be an almost solid mass of flowers for 
weeks. Some varieties have flowers of the purest 
white, and the colors of others range through 
many shades of pink, carmine, scarlet, and crim- 
son, to lilac, mauve, and magenta. The three 
colors last named must never be planted along- 
side or near to the other colors, with the exception 
of white, as there can be no harmony between 
them. They make a color-discord so intense as 
to be positively painful to the eye that has keen 
color-sense. But combine them with the white 
kinds and they are among the loveliest of the lot. 
This Phlox ought always to be grouped, to be 
most effective, and white varieties should be 
used liberally to serve as a foil to the more bril- 
liant colors and bring out their beauty most 
strikingly. 

Peonies are superb flowers, and no border can 
afford to be without them. The varieties are 

90 



THE HARDY BORDER 



almost endless, but you cannot have too many of 
them. Use them everywhere. The chances are 
that you will wish you had room for more. They 
bloom early, are magnificent in color and form, 
and are so prolific that old plants often bear a 
hundred or more flowers each season, and their 
profusion of bloom increases with age, as the 
plant gains in size. Many varieties are as fra- 
grant as a Rose, and all of them are as hardy as a 
plant can well be. What more need be said in 
their favor? 

In order to attain the highest degree of success 
with the Peony, it should be given a rather heavy 
soil, and manure should be used with great liber- 
ality. In fact it is hardly possible to make the 
soil too rich to suit it. Disturb the roots as little 
as possible. The plant is very sensitive to any 
treatment that aff ects the root, and taking away 
a " toe " for a neighbor will often result in its 
failure to bloom next season. Keep the grass 
from crowding it. Year after year it will spread 
its branches farther and wider, and there will be 
more of them, and its flowers will be larger and 
finer each season, if the soil is kept rich. I know 
of old clumps that have a spread of six feet or 
more, sending up hundreds of stalks from matted 
roots that have not been disturbed for no one 

91 



THE HARDY BORDER 



knows how long, on which blossoms can be 
counted by the hundreds every spring. 

Dicentra, better known as " Bleeding Heart," 
because of its pendulous, heart-shaped flowers, is 
a most lovely early bloomer. It is an excellent 
plant for the front row of the border. It sends 
up a great number of flowering stalks, two and 
three feet in length, all curving gracefully out- 
ward from the crown of the plant. These bear 
beautiful foliage — ^indeed, the plant would be 
well worth growing for this alone — and each 
stalk is terminated with a raceme of pink and 
white blossoms. It is difficult to imagine any- 
thing lovelier or more graceful than this plant, 
when in full bloom. 

The Aquilegia ought to be given a place in all 
collections. It comes in blue, white, yellow, and 
red. Some varieties are single, others double, 
and all beautiful. This is one of our early 
bloomers. It should be grown in clumps, near 
the front row. 

The Iris is to the garden what the Orchid is to 
the greenhouse. Its colors are of the richest — 
blue, purple, violet, yellow, white, and gray. It 
blooms in great profusion, for weeks during the 
early part of summer. It is a magnificent flower. 
It will be found most effective when grouped, 

99 



THE HARDY BORDER 



but it can be scattered about the border in such 
a way as to produce charming results if one is 
careful to plant it among plants whose flowers 
harmonize with the different varieties in color. 
Color-harmony is as important in the hardy bor- 
der as in any other part of the garden, and no 
plant should be put out until you are sure of the 
effect it will produce upon other plants in its 
immediate neighborhood. Find the proper place 
for it before you give it a permanent location. 
The term, " proper place," has as much refer- 
ence to color as to size. A plant that introduces 
color-discord is as much out of place as is the 
plant whose size makes it a candidate for a posi- 
tion in the rear when it is given a place in the 
immediate foreground. 

Pyrethrum uliginosum is a wonderfully free 
bloomer, growing to a height of three or four 
feet, therefore well adapted to the middle rows 
of the border. It blooms during the latter part 
of summer. It is often called the " Giant Daisy," 
and the name is very appropriate, as it is the 
common Daisy, to all intents and purposes, on a 
large scale. 

The small white Daisy, of lower growth, is 
equally desirable for front-row locations. It is 
a most excellent plant, blooming early in the 

93 



THE HARDY BORDER 



season, and throughout the greater part of sum- 
mer, and well into autumn if the old flower- 
stalks are cut away in September, to encourage 
new growth. It is a stand-by for cut flowers for 
bouquet work. Because of its compact habit it is 
a very desirable plant for edging the border. 

It is difiicult to imagine anything more dain- 
tily charming than the herbaceous Spireas. Alba, 
white, and rosea, soft pink, produce large, feath- 
ery tufts of bloom on stalks six and seven feet 
tall. The flowers of these varieties are exceed- 
ingly graceful in an airy, cloud-like way, and 
never fail to attract the attention of those who 
pass ordinary plants by without seeing them. 

The florists have taken our native Asters in 
hand, and we now have several varieties that 
make themselves perfectly at home in the border. 
Some of them grow to a height of eight feet. 
Others are low growers. The rosy- violet kinds 
and the pale lavender-blues are indescribably 
lovely. Nearly all of them bloom very late in the 
season. Their long branches will be a mass of 
flowers with fringy petals and a yellow centre. 
These plants have captured the charm of the 
Indian Summer and brought it into the garden, 
where they keep it prisoner during the last days 
of the season. By all means give them a place in 

94 



THE HARDY BORDER 



your collection. And it will add to the effect if 
you plant alongside them a few clumps of their 
sturdy, faithful old companion of the roadside 
and pasture, the Golden Rod. 

It hardly seems necessary for me to give a de- 
tailed description of all the plants deserving a 
place in the border. The list would be too long 
if I were to attempt to do so. You will find all 
the really desirable kinds quite fully described in 
the catalogues of the leading dealers in plants. 
Information as to color, size, and time of flower- 
ing is given there, and you can select to suit your 
taste, feeling confident that you will be well 
satisfied with the result. 

Just a few words of advice, in conclusion: 

Don't crowd your plants. 

Allow for development. 

Don't try to have a little of everything. 

Don't overlook the old-fashioned kinds simply 
because they happen to be old. That proves that 
they have merit. 

Keep the ground between them clean and 
open. 

Manure well each spring. 

Stir the soil occasionally during the season. 

Prevent the formation of seed. 

Once in three or four years divide the old 

95 



THE HARDY BORDER 



clumps, and discard all but the strongest, health- 
iest portions of the roots. Reset in rich, mellow 
soil. Do this while the plants are at a stand- 
still, early in spring, or in fall, after the work of 
the season is over. 



THE GARDEN OF ANNUALS 



N preparing the garden for 
annuals, the first thing to do 
is to spade up the soil. This 
can be done shortly after the 
frost is out of the ground. 
This is about all that can be 
done to advantage, at this 
time, as the ground must be allowed to remain 
as it comes from the spade until the combined 
effect of sun and air has put it into a condition 
that will make it an easy matter to reduce it to 
proper mellowness with the hoe or iron rake. 

Right here let me say: Most of us, in the 
enthusiasm which takes possession of us when 
spring comes, are inclined to rush matters. We 
spade up the soil, and immediately attempt to 
pulverize it, and of course fail in the attempt, 
because it is not in a proper condition to pul- 
verize. We may succeed in breaking it up into 
little clods, but that is not what needs doing. It 
must be made fine, and mellow, — not a lump left 
in it, — and this can only be done well after the 
elements have had an opportunity to do their 

7 97 




THE GARDEN 



work on it. When one comes to think about it, 
there is no need of hurry, for it is not safe to sow 
seed in the ground at the north until the weather 
becomes warm and settled, and that will not be 
before the first of May, in a very favorable 
season, and generally not earlier than the middle 
of the month. This being the case, be content to 
leave the soil to the mellowing influences of the 
weather until seed-sowing time is at hand. Then 
go to work and get your garden ready. 

If the soil is not rich, apply manure from the 
barnyard or its substitute in the shape of some 
reliable fertilizer. 

Do this before you set about the pulverization 
of the soil. Then go to work with hoe and rake, 
and reduce it to the last possible degree of fine- 
ness, working the fertilizer you make use of into 
it in such a manner that both are perfectly 
blended. 

There is no danger of overdoing matters in 
this part of garden-work. The finer the soil is 
the surer you may be of the germination of the 
seed you put into it. Fine seed often fails to 
grow in a coarse and lumpy soil. 

In sowing seed, make a distinction between 
the very fine and that of ordinary size. Fine seed 
should be scattered on the surface, and no 

98 



OF ANNUALS 



attempt made to cover it. Simply press down 
the soil upon which you have scattered it with 
a smooth board. This will make it firm enough 
to retain the moisture required to bring about 
germination. 

Larger seed can be sown on the surface, and 
afterward covered by sifting a slight covering of 
fine soil over it. Then press with the board to 
make it firm. 

Large seed, like that of the Sweet Pea, Four- 
o'- Clock, and Ricinus, should be covered to the 
depth of half an inch. 

I always advise sowing seed in the beds where 
the plants are to grow, instead of starting it in 
pots and boxes, in the house, early in the season, 
under the impression that by so doing you are 
going to " get the start of the season." In 
ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, plants from 
seed sown in the house will be so weak in vital 
force that they cannot stand the change which 
comes when they are transplanted to the open 
ground. In the majority of cases, there will be 
none to transplant, for seedlings grown under 
living-room conditions generally die before the 
time comes when it is safe to put them out of 
doors. Should there be any to put out, they 
will be so weak that plants from seed sown in the 

99 



THE GARDEN 



beds, at that time, will invariably get the start of 
them, and these are sure to make the best plants. 
A person must be an expert in order to make a 
success of plant-growing from seed, in the house, 
in spring. There will be too much heat, too little 
fresh air, too great a lack of moisture in the 
atmosphere, and often a lack of proper attention 
in the way of watering, and unless these matters 
can be properly regulated it is useless to expect 
success. Knowing what the result is almost sure 
to be, I discourage the amateur gardener from 
attempting to grow* his own seedlings under 
these conditions. If early plants are desired, buy 
them of the florists whose facilities for growing 
them are such that they can send out strong and 
healthy stock. 

Do not sow the seeds of tender plants until 
you are quite sure that the danger from cold 
nights is over. It is hardly safe to put any kind 
of seed into the ground before the middle of 
May, at the north. 

If we wait until all conditions are favorable, 
the young plants will get a good start and go 
steadily ahead, and distance those from seed 
sown before the soil had become warm or the 
weather settled. Haste often makes waste. If 
the soil is cold and damp seed often fails to 

100 



OF ANNUALS 



germinate in it, and this obliges you to buy more 
seed, and all your labor goes for naught. 

To the method and time of planting advised 
above, there is one exception — ^that of the Sweet 
Pea. This should go into the ground as soon as 
possible in spring. For this reason: This plant 
likes to get a good root-growth before the warm 
weather of summer comes. With such a growth 
it is ready for flowering early in the season, and 
no time is wasted. Dig a V-shaped trench six 
inches deep. Sow the seed thickly. It ought not 
to be more than an inch apart, and if closer no 
harm will be done. Cover to the depth of an 
inch, at time of sowing, tramping the soil down 
firmly. When the young plants have grown to 
be two or three inches tall, draw in more of the 
soil, and keep on doing this from time to time, as 
the seedlings reach up, until all the soil from the 
trench has been returned to it. This method 
gives us plants with roots deep enough in the 
soil to make sure of sufficient moisture in a dry 
season. It also insures coolness at the root, a 
condition quite necessary to the successful cult- 
ure of this favorite flower. 

Weeds will generally put in an appearance be- 
fore the flowering plants do. As soon as you can 
tell " which is which " the work of weeding must 

101 



THE GARDEN 



begin. At this stage, hand-pulling will have to 
be depended on. But a little later, when the 
flowering plants have made an inch or two of 
growth, weeding by hand should be abandoned. 
Provide yourself with a weeding-hook — a little 
tool with claw-shaped teeth — with which you can 
uproot more weeds in an hour than you can in all 
day by hand, and the work will be done in a 
superior manner as the teeth of the little tool stir 
the surface of the soil just enough to keep it light 
and open — a condition that is highly favorable 
to the healthy development of young plants. I 
have never yet seen a person who liked to pull 
weeds by hand. Gardens are often neglected be- 
cause of the dislike of their owners for this dis- 
agreeable task. The use of the weeding-hook 
does away with the drudgery, and makes really 
pleasant work of the fight with weeds. 

If seedlings are to be transplanted, do it after 
sundown or on a cloudy day. Lift the tender 
plants as carefully as possible, and aim to not 
expose their delicate roots. Get the place in 
which you propose to plant them ready before 
you lift them, and then set them out immediately. 
Make a hole as deep as their roots are long, drop 
the plants into it, and press the soil firmly about 
them with thumb and ^nger. It may be well to 

103 



OF ANNUALS 



water them if the season is a dry one. Shade 
them next day, and continue to do so until they 
show that they have made new feeding roots by 
beginning to grow. I make use of a " shader " 
that I have " evolved from my inner conscious- 
ness " that gives better satisfaction than anything 
else I have ever tried. I cut thick brown paper 
into circular shape, eight inches across. Then I 
cut out a quarter of it, and bring the edges of 
this cut together, and run a stick or wire through 
them to hold them together. This stick or wire 
should be about ten inches long, as the lower end 
of it must go into the soil. When my " shader " 
is ready for use it has some resemblance to a 
paper umbrella with a handle at one side instead 
of in the middle. This handle is inserted in the 
soil close to the plant, and the " umbrella " shades 
it most eflfectively, and does this without inter- 
fering with a free circulation of air, which is a 
matter of great importance. 

If thorough work in the way of weeding is done 
at the beginning of the season, it will be an easy 
matter to keep the upper hand of the enemy 
later on. But if you allow the weeds to get the 
start of you, you will have to do some hard fight- 
ing to gain the supremacy which ought never to 
have been relinquished. After a little, the hoe 



THE GARDEN 



can be used to advantage. If the season happens 
to be a dry one, do not allow the soil to become 
hard, and caked on the surface, under the im- 
pression that it will not be safe to stir it because 
of the drouth. A soil that is kept light and open 
will absorb all the moisture there is in the air, 
while one whose surface is crusted over cannot do 
this, therefore plants growing in it suffer far 
more than those do in the soil that is stirred 
constantly. Aim to get all possible benefit from 
dews and slight showers by keeping the soil in 
such a sponge-like condition that it can take 
advantage of them. 

It is a good plan to use the grass-clippings 
from the lawn as a mulch about your plants in 
hot, dry weather. 

Do not begin to water plants in a dry season 
unless you can keep up the practice. Better 
let them take the chances of pulling through 
without the application than to give it for a 
short time and then abandon it because of the 
magnitude of the task. 

Furnish racks and trellises for such plants as 
need them as soon as they are needed. Many 
a good plant is spoiled by neglecting to give 
attention to its requirements at the proper time. 

Make it a rule to go over the garden at least 
twice a week, after the flowering season sets in, 

104, 



OF ANNUALS 



and cut away all faded flowers. If this is done, 
no seed will come to development, and the 
strength of the plants will be expended in the 
production of other flowers. By keeping up this 
practice through the season, it is possible to keep 
most of them blossoming until late in the sum- 
mer, as they will endeavor to perpetuate them- 
selves by the production of seed, and the first step 
in this process is the production of flowers. 

What flowers would you advise us to grow? 
many readers of this chapter will be sure to ask, 
after having read what I have said above about 
the garden of annuals. 

In answering this question here, it will be 
necessary, in a measure, to repeat what has been, 
or will be, said in other chapters, where various 
phases of gardening are treated. But the ques- 
tion is one that should be answered in this con- 
nection, at the risk of repetition, in order to fully 
cover the subject now under consideration. 

There are so many kinds of flowers ofl*ered 
by the seedsmen that it is a diflicult matter to 
decide between them, when all are so good. But 
no one garden is large enough to contain them 
all^ Were one to attempt the cultivation of all 
he would be obliged to put in all his time at the 
work, and the services of an assistant would be 
needed, besides. Even then the chances are that 

105 



THE GARDEN 



the work would be done in a superficial fashion. 
Therefore I shall mention only such kinds as I 
consider the very best of the lot for general use, 
adding this advice: 

Don't attempt too much. A few good kinds, 
well grown, will afford a great deal more pleas- 
ure than a great many kinds only half grown. 

This list is made up of such kinds as can 
properly be classed as " stand-bys," kinds which 
any amateur gardener can be reasonably sure of 
success with if the instructions given in this chap- 
ter are carefully followed. 

Alyssum. — Commonly called Sweet Alys- 
sum, because of its pleasing fragrance. Of low 
growth. Very eff ective as an edging. Most pro- 
fuse and constant bloomer. 

Aster, — This annual disputes popularity with 
the Sweet Pea. Very many persons would pre- 
fer it to any other because of its sturdy habit, 
ease of culture, profusion of bloom, and great 
variety of color. It is one of the indispensables. 

Antirrhinum (Snapdragon). — Plant of pro- 
fuse flowering habit. Flowers of peculiar shape, 
mostly in rich colors. Very satisfactory for 
autumn. 

Balsam, — Splendid plant for summer flower- 
ing, coming in many colors, some of these ex- 

106 



OF ANNUALS 



ceedingly delicate and beautiful. Flowers like 
small Roses, very double, and set so thickly along 
the stalks that each branch seems like a wreath of 
bloom. It is often necessary to trim off many 
of the leaves in order to give the blossoms a 
chance to display themselves. Some varieties are 
charmingly variegated. Being quite tender it 
should not be sown until one is sure of warm 
weather. 

Calliopsis (Coreopsis). — ^A very showy plant, 
with rich yellow flowers, marked with brown, 
maroon and scarlet at the base of the petal. A 
most excellent plant where great masses of color 
are desired. Fine for combining with scarlet 
and other strong-toned flowers. An all-the- 
season bloomer. 

Candytuft, — ^A free and constant bloomer, of 
low habit. Very useful for edging beds and bor- 
ders. Comes in pure white and purplish red. 

Celosia (Cockscomb) . — ^A plant with most pe- 
culiar flowers. What we call the flower is really 
a collection of hundreds of tiny individual blos- 
soms set so close together that they seem to com- 
pose one large blossom. The prevailing color is 
a bright scarlet, but we have some varieties in 
pink and pale yellow. Sure to please. 

Cosmos, — A plant of wonderfully free flower- 
lor 



THE GARDEN 



ing habit. Flowers mostly pink, white, and lilac. 
A tall grower, branching freely, therefore well 
adapted to back rows, or massing. Foliage fine 
and feathery. Excellent for cutting. One of 
our most desirable fall bloomers. We have an 
early Cosmos of rather dwarf habit, but the 
large-growing late varieties are far more satis- 
factory. It may be necessary to cover the plants 
at night when the frosts of middle and late Sep- 
tember are due, as they will be severely injured 
by even the slightest touch of frost. Well worth 
all the care required. 

F our 'O' 'Clock (Marvel of Peru — ^Mirabilis) . — ■ 
A good, old-fashioned flower that has the pecu- 
liarity of opening its trumpet-shaped blossoms 
late in the afternoon. Bushy, well branched, and 
adapted to border use as a " filler." 

Escholtzia (California Poppy) . — One of the 
showiest flowers in the entire list. A bed of it 
will be a sheet of richest golden yellow for many 
weeks. 

Gaillardia ( Blanket-flower )\ — A profuse and 
constant bloomer, of rich and striking color-com- 
binations. Yellow, brown, crimson, and maroon. 
Most eff*ective when massed. 

GypsopMla (Baby's Breath). — ^A plant of 
great daintiness, both in foliage and flowers. 

109 



OF ANNUALS 



Always in demand for cut-flower work. White 
and pink. 

Kochia (Burning Bush — ^Mexican Fire- 
plant). — ^A very desirable plant, of symmetri- 
cal, compact habit. Bich green throughout the 
summer, but turning to dark red in fall. Fine 
for low hedges and for scattering through the 
border wherever there happens to be a vacancy. 

Larkspur. — ^Another old-fashioned flower of 
decided merit. 

Marigold, — ^An old favorite that richly de- 
serves a place in all gardens because of its rich 
colors, free blooming qualities and ease of 
culture. 

Nasturtium,. — Too well known to need de- 
scription here. Everybody ought to grow it. 
Unsurpassed in garden decoration and equally as 
valuable for cutting. Blooms throughout the 
entire season. Does well in a rather poor soil. 
In a very rich soil it makes a great growth of 
branches at the expense of blossoms. 

Pansy. — Not an annual, but generally treated 
as such. A universal favorite that almost every- 
body grows. If flowers of a particular color are 
desired I would advise buying blooming seed- 
lings from the florist, as one can never tell what 
he is going to get if he depends on seed of his 

109 



THE GARDEN 



own sowing. The flowers ^vill be as fine as those 
from selected varieties, but there ^vill be such a 
medley of colors that one sometimes tires of the 
effect. I have always received the most pleasure 
from planting distinct colors, like the yellows, 
the blues, the wliites, and the purples, and the 
only way in which I can make sure of getting just 
the colors I want is to tell the florist about them, 
and instruct him to send me those colors when 
his seedlings come into bloom. 

Petunia. — ^Another of the " stand-bys." A 
plant that can always be depended on. Very 
free bloomer, very profuse, and very sho^svy. If 
the old plants that have blossomed through the 
summer begin to look ragged and unsightly, cut 
away the entire top. In a short time new shoots 
will be sent out from the stump of the old plant, 
and almost before you know it the plant T\ill have 
renewed itself, and be blooming as freely as when 
it was young. Fine for massing. 

Plilox Drummondi. — One of our most satis- 
factory annuals. Any one can grow it. It be- 
gins to bloom when small, and improves with age. 
Comes in a wide range of colors, some brilliant, 
others delicate — all beautiful. Charming effects 
are easily secured by planting the pale rose, pure 
white, and soft yellow varieties together, either 

110 



OF ANNUALS 



in rows or circles. The contrast will be fine, and 
the harmony perfect. Other colors are desirable, 
but they do not all combine well. It is a good 
plan to use white varieties freely, as these 
heighten the efF ect of the strong colors. I always 
buy seed in which each color is by itself, as a 
mixture of red, crimson, lilac, and violet in the 
same bed is never pleasing to me. 

Poppy. — Brilliant and beautiful. Unrivalled 
for midsummer show. As this plant is of little 
value after its early flowering period is over, 
other annuals can be planted in the bed with it, 
to take its place. Set these plants about the 
middle of July, and when they begin to bloom 
pull up the Poppies. The Shirley strain includes 
some of the loveliest colors imaginable. Its 
flowers have petals that seem cut from satin. 
The large-flowered varieties are quite as orna- 
mental as Peonies, as long as they last. 

Portulacca. — Low grower, spreading until the 
surface of the bed is covered with the dark green 
carpet of its peculiar foliage. Flowers both 
single and double, of a great variety of colors. 
Does well in hot locations, and in poor soil. Of 
the easiest culture. 

Scabiosa. — ^Very fine. Especially for cutting. 

Colors dark purple, maroon, and white. 

Ill 



THE GARDEN 



Salpiglossis. — A free-blooming plant, of very- 
brilliant coloring and striking variegation. 
Really freakish in its peculiar markings. 

Stock (Gillyflower) . — A plant of great merit. 
Flowers of the double varieties are like minia- 
ture Roses, in spikes. Very fragrant. Fine for 
cutting. Blooms until frost comes. Red, pink, 
purple, white, and pale yellow. The single varie- 
ties are not desirable, and as soon as a seedling 
plant shows single flowers, pull it up. 

Sweet Pea. — This grand flower needs no de- 
scription. It is one of the plants we must have. 

Verbena, — Old, but none the worse for that. 
A free and constant bloomer, of rich and varied 
coloring. Habit low and spreading. One of the 
best plants we have for low beds, under the sit- 
ting-room windows. Keep the faded flowers cut 
ofl*, and at midsummer cut away most of the old 
branches, and allow the plant to renew itself, 
as advised in the case of the Petunia. 

Wallflower, — l^ot as much grown as it ought 
to be. Delightfully fragrant. Color rich brown 
and tawny yellow. General habit similar to that 
of Stock, of which it is a near relative. Late 
bloomer. Give it one season's trial and you will 
be delighted with it. Not as showy as most 
flowers, but quite as beautiful, and the peer of 
any of them in sweetness. 

m 



OF ANNUALS 



Zinnia, — A robust plant of the easiest possible 
culture. Any one can grow it, and it will do 
well anywhere. Grows to a height of three feet 
or more, branches freely, and close to the ground, 
and forms a dense, compact bush. On this 
account very useful for hedge purposes. Ex- 
ceedingly profuse in its production of flowers. 
Blooms till frost comes. Comes in almost all the 
colors of the rainbow. 

Because I have advised the amateur gardener 
to make his selection from the above list, it must 
not be understood that those of which I have not 
made mention, but which will be found described 
in the catalogues of the florist, are not desirable. 
Many of them might please the reader quite as 
well, and possibly more, than any of the kinds 
I have spoken of. But most of them will require 
a treatment which the beginner in gardening will 
not be able to give them, and, on that account, 
I do not include them in my list. After a year 
or two's experience in gardening, the amateur 
will be justified in attempting their culture — 
which, after all, is not difficult if one has time to 
give them special attention and a sufficient 
amount of care. The kinds I have advised are 
such as virtually take care of themselves, after 
they get well under way, if weeds are kept away 

8 113 



THE GARDEN 



from them. They are the kinds for " every- 
body's garden." 

Let me add, in concluding this chapter, that it 
is wisdom on the part of the amateur to select 
not more than a dozen of the kinds that appeal 
most forcibly to him, and concentrate his atten- 
tion on them. Aim to grow them to perfection 
by giving them the best of care. A garden of 
well-grown plants, though limited in variety, will 
afford a hundredfold more pleasure to the owner 
of it than a garden containing a little of every- 
thing, and nothing well grown. 

In purchasing seed, patronize a dealer whose 
reputation for honesty and reliability is such that 
he would not dare to send out anything inferior 
if he were inclined to do so. There are many 
firms that advertise the best of seed at very low 
prices. Look out for them. I happen to know 
that our old and most reputable seedsmen make 
only a reasonable profit on the seed they sell. 
Other dealers who cut under in price can only 
aflFord to do so because they do not exercise the 
care and attention which the reliable seedsman 
does in growing his stock, hence their expenses 
are less. Cheap seed will be found cheap in all 
senses of the term. 

I want to lay special emphasis on the advisa- 

114 



OF ANNUALS 



bility of purchasing seed in which each color is by 
itself. The objection is often urged that one 
person seldom cares to use as many plants of one 
color as can be grown from a package of seed. 
This difficulty is easily disposed of. Club with 
your neighbors, and divide the seed between you 
when it comes. In this way you will secure the 
most satisfactory results and pay no more for 
your seed than you would if you were to buy 
" mixed " packages. Grow colors separately for 
a season and I am quite sure you will never go 
back to mixed seed. 



THE BULB GARDEN 



VERY lover of flowers should 
have a garden of bulbs, for 
three reasons: First, they 
bloom so early in the season 
that one can have flowers at 
least six weeks longer than 
it is possible to have them if 
only perennial and annual plants are depended 
on. Some bulbs come into bloom as soon as the 
snow is gone, at the north, to be followed by 
those of later habit, and a constant succession of 
bloom can be secured by a judicious selection 
of varieties, thus completely tiding over the 
usually flowerless period between the going of 
winter and the coming of the earlier spring 
flowers. Second, they require but little care, 
much less than the ordinary plant. Give them 
a good soil to grow in, and keep weeds and grass 
from encroaching on them, and they will ask no 
other attention from you, except when, because 
of a multiplication of bulbs, they need to be sepa- 
rated and reset, which will be about every third 
year. The work required in doing this is no more 

116 




THE BULB GABDEN 



than that involved in spading up a bed for annual 
flowers. Third, they are so hardy, even at the 
extreme north, that one can be sure of bloom 
from them if they are given a good covering in 
fall, which is a very easy matter to do. 

For richness and variety of color this class of 
plants stands unrivalled. The bulb garden is 
more brilliant than the garden of annuals which 
succeeds it. 

September is the proper month in which to 
make the bulb garden. 

As a general thing, persons fail to plant their 
bulbs until October and often November, think- 
ing the time of planting makes very little dif- 
ference so long as they are put into the ground 
before winter sets in. Here is where a serious 
mistake is made. Early planting should always 
be the rule, — for this reason: Bulbs make their 
annual growth immediately after flowering, and 
ripen ofl* by midsummer. After this, they re- 
main dormant until fall, when new root-growth 
takes place, and the plant gets ready for the 
work that will be demanded of it as soon as spring 
opens. It is made during the months of October 
and November, if cold weather does not set in 
earlier, and should be fully completed before 
the ground freezes. If incomplete — as is always 

117 



THE BULB GARDEN 



the case when late planting is done — the plants 
are obliged to do — or attempt to do — double duty 
in spring. That is, the completion of the work 
left undone in fall and the production of flowers 
must go on at the same time, and this is asking 
too much of the plant. It cannot produce fine, 
perfect flowers with a poorly-developed root- 
system to supply the strength and nutriment 
needed for such a task, therefore the plants are 
not in a condition to do themselves justice. Often 
late-planted bulbs fail to produce any flowers, 
and, in most instances, the few flowers they do 
give are small and inferior in all respects. 

With early-planted bulbs it is quite different, 
because they had all the late fall-season to com- 
plete root-growth in, and w^hen winter closed in 
it found them ready for the work of spring. 

Therefore, do not neglect the making of your 
bulb garden until vmiter is at hand under the 
impression that if the bulbs are planted any time 
before snow comes, all is well. This is the worst 
mistake you could possibly make. 

The catalogues of the bulb-dealers will be sent 
out about the first of September. Send in your 
order for the kinds you decide on planting at 
once, and as soon as your order has gone, set 
about preparing the place in which you propose 
to plant them. Have everything in readiness for 

118 



THE BULB GARDEN 



them when they arrive, and put them into the 
ground as soon after they are received as possible. 

The soil in which bulbs should be planted 
cannot be too carefully prepared, as much of 
one's success with these plants depends upon this 
most important item. It must be rich, and it 
must be fine and mellow. 

The best soil in which to set bulbs is a sandy 
loam. 

The best fertilizer is old, thoroughly rotted 
cow-manure. On no account should fresh 
manure be used. Make use, if possible, of that 
which is black from decomposition, and will 
crumble readily under the application of the hoe, 
or iron rake. One-third in bulk of this material 
is not too much. Bulbs are great eaters, and 
unless they are well fed you cannot expect large 
crops of fine flowers from them. And they must 
be well supplied with nutritious food each year, 
because the crop of next season depends largely 
upon the nutriment stored up this season. 

If barnyard manure is not obtainable, substi- 
tute bonemeal. Use the fine meal, in the propor- 
tion of a pound to each yard square of surface. 
More, if the soil happens to be a poor one. If the 
soil is heavy with clay, add sand enough to lighten 
it, if possible. 

The ideal location for bulbs is one that is 

119 



THE BULB GARDEN 



naturally well drained, and has a slope to the 
south. 

Unless drainage is good success cannot be ex- 
pected, as nothing injures a bulb more than 
water about its roots. Therefore, if you do not 
have a place suitable for them so far as natural 
drainage is concerned, see to it that artificial 
drainage supplies what is lacking. Spade up the 
bed to the depth of a foot and a half. That is — 
throw the soil out of it to that depth, — and put 
into the bottom of the excavation at least four 
inches of material that will not decay readily, like 
broken brick, pottery, clinkers from the coal- 
stove, coarse gravel — anything that will be per- 
manent and allow water to run off through the 
cracks and crevices in it, thus securing a system 
of drainage that will answer all purposes per- 
fectly. It is of the utmost importance that this 
should be done on all heavy soils. Unless the 
water from melting snows and early spring rains 
drains away from the bulbs readily you need not 
expect flowers from them. 

After having arranged for drainage, work over 
the soil thrown out of the bed until it is as fine 
and mellow as it can possibly be made. Mix 
whatever fertilizer you make use of with it, when 
you do this, that the two may be thoroughly in- 

1^0 



ffHE BULB GARDEN 



corporated. Then return it to the bed. There 
will be more than enough to fill the bed, because 
some space is given up to drainage material, but 
this will be an advantage because it will enable 
you to so round up the surface that water will run 
off before it has time to soak into the soil to 
much depth. 

I do not think it advisable to say much about 
plans for bulb-beds, because comparatively few 
persons seem inclined to follow instructions along 
this line. The less formal a bed of this kind is 
the better satisfaction it will give, as a general 
thing. It is the flower that is in the bed that 
should be depended on to give pleasure rather 
than the shape of the bed containing it. 

I would advise locating bulb-beds near the 
house where they can be easily seen from the 
living-room windows. These beds can be util- 
ized later on for annuals, which can be sown or 
planted above the bulbs without interfering with 
them in any respect. 

I would never advise mixing bulbs. By that, 
I mean, planting Tulips, Hyacinths, Daffodils, 
and other kinds in the same bed. They will not 
harmonize in color or habit. Each kind will be 
found vastly more pleasing when kept by itself. 

I would also advise keeping each color by it- 
m 



THE BULB GARDEN 



self, unless you are sure that harmony will result 
from a mixture or combination of colors. Pink 
and white, blue and white, and red and white 
Hyacinths look well when planted together, but 
a jumble of pinks, blues, and reds is never as 
pleasing as the same colors would be separately, 
or where each color is relieved by white. 

The same rule applies to Tulips, with equal 
force. 

We often see pleasing effects that have been 
secured by planting reds and blues in rows, alter- 
nating with rows of white. This method keeps 
the quarrelsome colors apart, and affords suffi- 
cient contrast to heighten the general effect. 
Still, there is a formality about it which is not 
entirely satisfactory to the person who believes 
that the flower is of first importance, and the 
shape of the bed, or the arrangement of the 
flowers in the bed, is a matter of secondary con- 
sideration. 

Bulbs should be put into the ground as soon 
as possible after being taken from the package 
in which they are sent out by the florist. If ex- 
posed to the light and air for any length of time 
they part rapidly with the moisture contained in 
their scales, and that means a loss of vitality. If 
it is not convenient to plant them at once, leave 

12^ 



THE BULB GARDEN 



them in the package, or put them in some cool, 
dark place until you are ready to use them. 

As a rule Hyacinths, Tulips, and Narcissus 
should be planted about five inches deep, and 
about six inches apart. 

The smaller bulbs should be put from three to 
four inches below the surface and about the same 
distance apart. 

In planting, make a hole with a blunt stick of 
the depth desired, and drop the bulb into it. 
Then cover, and press the soil down firmly. 

Just before the ground is likely to freeze, cover 
the bed with a coarse litter from the barnyard, if 
obtainable, to a depth of eight or ten inches. If 
this litter is not to be had, hay or straw will 
answer very well, if packed down somewhat. 
Leaves make an excellent covering if one can get 
enough of them. If they are used, four inches 
in depth of them will be sufficient. Put ever- 
green boughs or wire netting over them to pre- 
vent their being blown away. 

I frequently receive letters from inexperienced 
bulb-growers, in which the writers express con- 
siderable scepticism about the value of such a 
covering as I have advised above, because, they 
say, it is not deep enough to keep out the frost, 
therefore it might as well be dispensed with. 

12S 



THE BULB GARDEN 



Keeping out the frost is not what is aimed at. 
We expect the soil about the bulbs to freeze. 
But such a covering as has been advised will pre- 
vent the sun from thawing out the frost after it 
gets into the soil, and this is exactly what we 
desire. For if the frost can be kept in, after it 
has taken possession, there will not be that fre- 
quent alternation between freezing and thawing 
which does the harm to the plant. For it is not 
freezing, understand, that is responsible for the 
mischief, but the alternation of conditions. These 
cause a rupture of plant-cells, and that is what 
does the harm. Keep a comparatively tender 
plant frozen all winter and allow the frost to be 
drawn out of it gradually in spring, and it will 
survive a season of unusual cold. The same 
plant will be sure to die in a mild season if left 
exposed to the action of the elements, because of 
frequent and rapid changes between heat and 
cold. 

Whatever covering is given should be left on 
the beds as long as possible in spring, because of 
the severely cold weather we frequently have at 
the north after we think all danger is over. How- 
ever, as soon as the plants begin to make much 
growth, this covering will have to be removed. 
If a cold night comes along after this has been 

m 



THE BULB GARDEN 



done spread blankets or carpeting over the beds. 
Keep them from resting on the tender growth of 
the plants by driving pegs into the soil a short 
distance apart, all over the bed. The young 
plants may not be killed by quite a severe freeze, 
but they will be injured by it, and injury of any 
kind should be guarded against at this season, 
if you want fine flowers. 

Holland Hyacinths should receive first consid- 
eration, because they are less likely to disappoint 
than any other hardy bulb. There are single and 
double kinds, both desirable. Personally I pre- 
fer the single sorts, as they are less prim and 
formal than the double varieties, whose flowers 
are so thickly set along the stalk that individual- 
ity of bloom is almost wholly lost sight of. They 
are, in this respect, like the double Geraniums 
we use in summer bedding, whose trusses of 
bloom resemble a ball of color more than any- 
thing else, at a little distance, the suggestion 
of individual bloom being so slight that it seldom 
receives consideration. However, they do good 
service where color-efF ects are considered of more 
importance than anything else. Single Hya- 
cinths have their flowers more loosely arranged 
along the stalk, and are therefore more graceful 
than the double varieties, and their colors are 

125 



THE BULB GARDEN 



quite as fine. These range from pure white 
through pale pink and rose, red, scarlet, crimson, 
blue and charming yellows to dark purple. 

Roman Hyacinths are too tender for outdoor 
culture at the north. 

There are several quite distinct varieties of the 
Tulip. There is an early sort, a medium one, a 
late one, and the Parrot, which is prized more 
for its striking combinations of brilliant colors 
than for its beauty of form or habit. We have 
single and double varieties in all the classes, all 
coming in a wide range of both rich and delicate 
colors. Scarlets, crimsons, and yellows predom- 
inate, but the pure whites, the pale rose-colors, 
and the rich purples are general favorites. Some 
of the variegated varieties are exceedingly bril- 
liant in their striking color-combinations. 

The Narcissus is one of the loveliest flowers 
we have. It deserves a place very near, if not 
quite at, the head of the list of our best spring- 
blooming plants. Nothing can be richer in color 
than the large double sorts, like Horsfieldii, and 
Empress,, with their petals of burnished gold. 
There are many other varieties equally as fine, 
but with a little difference in the way of color — 
just enough to make one want to have all of 
them. The good old-fashioned Daffodil is an 
honored member of the family that should be 

126 



THE BULB GARDEN 



found in every garden. When you see the Dan- 
delion's gleam of gold in the grass by the wayside 
you get a good idea of the brilliant display a fine 
collection of Narcissus is capable of making, for 
in richness of color these two flowers are almost 
identical. 

Among the smaller bulbs that deserve special 
mention are the Crocus, the Snow Drop, the 
S cilia, and the Musk or Grape Hyacinth. These 
should be planted in groups, to be most efF ective, 
and set close together. They must be used in 
large quantities to produce much of a show. 
They are very cheap, and a good-sized collection 
can be had for a small amount of money. 

Those who have a liking for special colors will 
do well to make their selections from the named 
varieties listed in the catalogues. You can de- 
pend on getting just the color you want, if you 
order in this way. But in no other way. Mixed 
collection will give you some of all colors, but 
there is no way of telling " which is which " until 
they come into bloom. 

But in mixed collections you will get just as 
fine bulbs and just as fine colors as you will if 
you select from the list of named varieties. Only 
— you won't know what you are getting. Named 
sorts will cost considerable more than the mix- 
tures. 

127 



THE ROSE: ITS GENERAL CARE 
AND CULTURE 




HE owner of every garden 
tries to grow roses in it, but 
where one succeeds, ten fail. 
Perhaps I would be safe in 
saying that ninety-nine out 
of every hundred fail, for a 



■ few inferior blossoms from 

a plant, each season, do not constitute success, 
but that is what the majority of amateur Rose- 
growers have to be satisfied with, the country 
over, and so great is their admiration for this 
most beautiful of all flowers that these few blos- 
soms encourage them to keep on, season after 
season, hoping for better things, and consoling 
themselves with the thought that, though results 
fall short of expectation, they are doing about 
as well as their neighbors in this particular phase 
of gardening. 

One does not have to seek far for the causes 
of failure. The Rose, while it is common every- 
where, and has been in cultivation for centuries, 
is not understood by the rank and file of those 

m 



THE ROSE 



who attempt to grow it, therefore it is not given 
the treatment it deserves, and which it must have, 
in order to achieve success in its culture. When 
we come to know its requirements, and give it 
proper care, we can grow fine Roses, but not till 
then. Those who form an opinion of the possi- 
bilities of the plant from the specimens which 
they see growing in the average garden have yet 
to find out what a really fine Rose is. 

The Rose is the flower of romance and senti- 
ment throughout the lands in which it grows, 
but, for all that, it is not a sentimental flower 
in many respects. It is a vegetable epicure. It 
likes rich food, and great quantities of it. Unless 
it can be gratified in this respect it will refuse to 
give you the large, fine flowers which every Rose- 
grower, professional or amateur, is constantly 
striving after. But feed it according to its lik- 
ing and it will give you perfect flowers in great 
quantities, season after season, and then you will 
understand what this plant can do when given an 
opportunity to do itself justice. 

The Rose will live on indefinitely in almost 
any soil, and under almost any conditions. I 
have frequently found it growing in old, deserted 
gardens, almost choked out of existence by weeds 
and other aggressive plants, but still holding to 

9 129 



THE ROSE 



life with a persistency that seemed wonderful in 
a plant of its kind. I have removed some of 
these plants to my own garden, and given them 
good care, and time after time I have been as 
surprised as delighted at the result. The poor 
little bushes, that had held so tenaciously to life 
against great odds, seemed to have stored up 
more vitality in their starved roots than any 
others in the garden were possessors of, and as 
soon as they were given good soil and proper care 
they sent up strong, rank shoots, and thanked me 
for my kindness to them in wonderful crops of 
flowers, and really put the old residents of the 
place to shame. All through the years of neglect 
they had no doubt been yearning to bud and 
bloom, but were unable to do so because of un- 
favorable conditions, but when the opportunity 
to assert themselves came they made haste to 
take advantage of it in a way that proves how re- 
sponsive flowers are to the right kind of treat- 
ment. 

The Rose will only do its best in a soil that is 
rather heavy with clay, or a tenacious loam. It 
likes to feel the earth firm about its roots. In 
light, loose soils it never does well, though it fre- 
quently makes a vigorous growth of branches in 
them, but it is from a more compact soil that 
we get the most and finest flowers. 

130 




PERPETUAL EOSE 



THE ROSE 



Some varieties do well in a soil of clay con- 
taining considerable gravel. Such a soil provides 
for the roots the firmness of which I have spoken, 
while the gravel insures perfect drainage, — a 
matter of great importance in Rose-culture. 
Success cannot be expected in a soil unduly re- 
tentive of moisture. Very heavy soils can be 
lightened by the addition of coarse, sharp sand, 
old mortar, and cinders. If the location chosen 
does not furnish perfect drainage, naturally, 
artificial drainage must be resorted to. Make an 
excavation at least a foot and a half in depth, 
and fill in, at the bottom, with bits of broken 
brick, crockery, coarse gravel, fine stone — any- 
thing that will not readily decay — and thus secure 
a stratum of porous material through which the 
superfluous moisture in the soil will readily drain 
away. This is an item in Rose-culture that one 
cannot afford to ignore, if he desires fine Roses. 

A rich soil must be provided for the plants in 
order to secure good results. This, also, is a 
matter of the greatest importance. The ideal 
fertilizer is old, well-rotted cow-manure — so old 
that it is black, and so rotten that it will crumble 
at the touch of the hoe. On no account should 
fresh manure be used. If old manure cannot be 
obtained, substitute finely-ground bonemeal, in 
the proportion of a pound to as much soil as 

131 



THE ROSE 



you think would fill a bushel-basket, on a rough 
estimate. But by all means use the cow-manure 
if it can possibly be procured, as nothing else 
suits the Rose so well. It will be safe to use it 
in the proportion of a third to the bulk of earth in 
which you plant your Roses. Whatever fertilizer 
is used should be thoroughly worked into the soil 
before the plants are set out. See that all lumps 
are pulverized. If this is not done, there is dan- 
ger of looseness about some of the roots at plant- 
ing-time, and this is a thing to guard against, 
especially with young plants. 

Location should be taken into consideration, 
always. Choose, if possible, one that has an 
exposure to the sunshine of the morning and the 
middle of the day. A western exposure is a great 
deal better than none, but the heat of it is gener- 
ally so intense that few Roses can long retain 
their freshness in it. Something can be done, 
however, to temper the extreme heat of it by 
planting shrubs where they will shade the plants 
from noon till three o'clock. 

Care must be taken, in the choice of a location, 
to guard against drafts. If Roses are planted 
where a cold wind from the east or north can 
blow over the bed, look out for trouble. Plan 
for a screen of evergreens, if the bed is to be a 

139 



THE ROSE 



permanent one. If temporary only, set up some 
boards to protect the plants from getting chilled 
until quick-growing annuals can be made to take 
their place. I have found that mildew on Rose- 
bushes is traceable, nine times out of ten, to 
exposure to cold drafts, and that few varieties 
are strong enough to withstand the efF ects of re- 
peated attacks of it. The harm done by it can be 
mitigated, to some extent, by applications of 
flowers of sulphur, dusted over the entire plant 
while moist with dew, but it will not do to depend 
on this remedy. Remove the cause of trouble and 
there will be no need of any application. 

Because the Rose is so beautiful, when in full 
bloom, quite naturally we like to plant it where 
its beauty can be seen to the best advantage. But 
I would not advise giving it a place on the lawn, 
or in the front yard. When plants are in bloom, 
people will look only at their flowers, and what- 
ever drawbacks there are about the bush will not 
be noticed. But after the flowering period is over, 
the bushes will come in for inspection, and then it 
will be discovered that a Rose-bush without blos- 
soms is not half as attractive as most other shrubs 
are. We prune it back sharply in our efforts to 
get the finest possible flowers from it, thus mak- 
ing it impossible to have luxuriance of branch or 

133 



THE ROSE 



foliage. We thin it until there is not enough 
left of it to give it the dignity of a shrub. In 
short, as ornamental shrubs, Roses are failures 
with the exception of a few varieties, and these 
are not kinds in general cultivation. This being 
the case, it is advisable to locate the Rose-bed 
where it will not be greatly in evidence after the 
flowering season is ended. But try to have it 
where its glories can be enjoyed by the occupants 
of the home. Not under, or close to, the living- 
room windows, for that space should be reserved 
for summer flowers, but where it will be in full 
view, if possible, from the kitchen as well as the 
parlor. The flowering period of the Rose is so 
short that we must contrive to get the greatest 
possible amount of pleasure out of it, and in order 
to do that we want it where we can see it at all 
times. 

Very few of our best Roses are really hardy, 
though most of the florists' catalogues speak of 
them as being so. Many kinds lose the greater 
share of their branches during the winter, unless 
given good protection. Their roots, however, are 
seldom injured so severely that they will not send 
up a stout growth of new branches during the 
season, but this is not what we want. We want 
Roses, — lots of them, — and in order to have them 

134 



THE ROSE 



we must contrive, in some way, to save as many 
of the last year's branches as possible. Fortu- 
nately, this can be done without a great deal of 
trouble. 

Here is my method of winter protection : Late 
in fall — generally about the first of November, or 
whenever there are indications that winter is 
about to close in upon us — I bend the bushes to 
the ground, and cover them with dry earth, 
leaves, litter from the barn, or evergreen 
branches. In doing this I am not aiming to keep 
the frost away from the plants, as might be 
supposed, but rather to prevent the sun from 
getting at the soil and thawing the frost that has 
taken possession of it. Scientific investigation 
has proven that a plant, though comparatively 
tender, is not seriously injured by freezing, if it 
can be kept frozen until the frost is extracted 
from it naturally, — that is, gradually and ac- 
cording to natural processes. It is the frequent 
alternation of freezing and thawing that does the 
harm. Therefore, if you have a tender Rose that 
you want to carry over winter in the onen ground, 
give it ample protection as soon as the frost has 
got at it — before it has a chance to thaw out — 
and you can be reasonably sure of its coming 
through in spring in good condition. What I 

135 



THE ROSE 



mean by the term ample protection " is — a cov- 
ering of one kind or another that will shade the 
plant and counteract the influence of the sun 
upon the frozen soil — not, as most amateurs seem 
to think, for the purpose of keeping the soil 
warm. I have already made mention of this 
scientific fact, and may do it again because it is 
a matter little understood, but is one of the great- 
est importance, hence my frequent reference to it. 

If earth is used as a covering, it should be 
dry, and after it is put on, boards, or something 
that will turn rain and water should be put over 
it. Old oil-cloth is excellent for this purpose. 
Canvas that has been given a coating of paint is 
good. Tarred sheathing-paper answers the pur- 
pose very well. Almost anything will do that 
prevents the earth from getting saturated with 
water, which, if allowed to stand among the 
branches, will prove quite as harmful as exposure 
to the fluctuations of winter weather. If leaves 
are used, — and these make an ideal covering if 
you can get enough of them, — ^they can be kept 
an place by laying coarse wire netting over them. 
Or evergreen branches can be used to keep the 
wind from blowing them away. These branches 
alone will be sufficient protection for the hardier 
kinds, such as Harrison's Yellow, Provence, Cab- 

136 



THE ROSE 



bage, and the Mosses, anywhere south of New 
York. North of that latitude I would not advise 
depending on so slight a protection. Earth-cov- 
ering is preferable for the northern section of the 
United States. 

It is no easy matter to get sturdy Rose-bushes 
ready for winter. Their canes are stiff and brit- 
tle. Their thorns are formidable. One person, 
working alone, cannot do the entire work to ad- 
vantage. It needs one to bend the bushes down 
and hold them in that position while the other 
applies the covering. In bending the bush, great 
care must be taken to prevent its being broken, 
or cracked, close to the ground. Provide your- 
self with gloves of substantial leather or thick 
canvas before you tackle them. Then take hold 
of the cane close to the ground, with the left hand, 
holding it firmly, grasp the upper part of it with 
the right hand, and proceed gently and cautiously 
with the work until you have it flat on the ground. 
If your left-hand grasp is a firm one, you can feel 
the bush yielding by degrees, and this is what 
you should be governed by. On no account 
work so rapidly that you do not feel the re- 
sistance of the branch giving way in a man- 
ner that assures you that it is adjusting itself 
safely to the force that is being applied to it. 

137 



THE ROSE 



When you have it on the ground, you will have 
to hold it there until it is covered with earth, un- 
less you prefer to weight it down with something 
heavy enough to keep it in place while you cover 
it. Omit the weights, or relax your grip upon it, 
and the elastic branches will immediately spring 
back to their normal position. Sometimes, when 
a bush is stubbornly stiff, and refuses to yield 
without danger of injury, it is well to heap a pail- 
ful or two of earth against it, on the side toward 
which it is to be bent, thus enabling you to curve 
it over the heaped-up soil in such a manner as to 
avoid a sharp bend. Never hurry with this work. 
Take your time for it, and do it thoroughly, and 
thoroughness means carefulness, always. As a 
general thing, six or eight inches of dry soil will 
be sufficient covering for Roses at the north. If 
litter is used, the covering can be eight or ten 
inches deep. 

Do not apply any covering early in the season, 
as so many do for the sake of " getting the work 
out of the way." Wait until you are reasonably 
sure that cold weather is setting in. 

Teas, and the Bourbon and Bengal sections of 
the so-called ever-bloomers, are most satisfac- 
torily wintered in the open ground by making a 
pen of boards about them, at least ten inches 

138 



THE ROSE 



deep, and filling it with leaves, packing them 
firmly over the laid-down plants. Then cover 
with something to shed rain. These very tender 
sorts cannot always be depended on to come 
through the winter safely at the north, even when 
given the best of protection, but where one has 
a bed of them that has afforded pleasure through- 
out the entire summer, quite naturally he dislikes 
to lose them if there is a possibility of saving 
them, and he will be willing to make an effort 
to carry them through the winter. If only part 
of them are saved, he will feel amply repaid for 
all his trouble. Generally all the old top will 
have to be cut away, but that does not matter 
with Roses of this class, as vigorous shoots will 
be sent up, early in the season, if the roots are 
alive, therefore little or no harm is done by the 
entire removal of the old growth. 

The best Roses to plant are those grown by 
reliable dealers who understand how to grow vig- 
orous stock, and who are too honest to give a 
plant a wrong name. Some unscrupulous 
dealers, whose supply of plants is limited to a 
few of the kinds easiest to grow, will fill any 
order you send them, and your plants will come 
to you labelled to correspond with your order. 
But when they come into bloom, you may find 

139 



THE ROSE 



that you have got kinds that you did not order, 
and did not care for. The honest dealer never 
plays this trick on his customers. If he hasn't 
the kinds you order, he will tell you so. There- 
fore, before ordering, try to find out who the 
honest dealers are, and give no order to any firm 
not well recommended by persons in whose opin- 
ion you have entire confidence. There are scores 
of such firms, but they do not advertise as exten- 
sively as the newer ones, because they have many 
old customers who do their advertising for them 
by " speaking good words " in their favor to 
friends who need anything in their line. 

I would advise purchasing two-year-old 
plants, always. They have much stronger roots 
than those of the one-year-old class, and will give 
a fairly good crop of flowers the first season, as 
a general thing. And when one sets out a new 
[Rose, he is always in a hurry to see " what it 
looks like." 

Be sure to buy plants on their own roots. It 
IS claimed by many growers that many varieties 
of the Rose do better when grafted on vigorous 
stock than they do on their own roots, and this 
is doubtless true. But it is also true that the 
stock of these kinds can be increased more rap- 
idly by grafting than from cuttings, and, because 

140 



THE ROSE 



of this, many dealers resort to this method of 
securing a supply of salable plants. It is money 
in their pockets to do so. But it is an objection- 
able plan, because the scion of a choice variety 
grafted to a root of an inferior kind is quite 
likely to die off, and when this happens you have 
a worthless plant. Strong and vigorous branches 
may be sent up from the root, but from them 
you will get no flowers, because the root from 
which they spring is that of a non-flowering sort. 
Many persons cannot understand why it is that 
plants so luxuriant in growth fail to bloom, but 
when they discover that this growth comes from 
the root helow where the graft was inserted^ the 
mystery is explained to them. When grafted 
plants are used, care must be taken to remove 
every shoot that appears about the plant unless 
it is sent out above the graft. If the shoots that 
are sent up from helow the graft are allowed 
to remain, the grafted portion will soon die off, 
because these shoots from the root of the variety 
upon which it was " worked " will speedily rob 
it of vitality and render it worthless. All this 
risk is avoided by planting only kinds which are 
grown upon their own roots. 

In planting Roses, make the hole in which 
they are to be set large enough to admit of 

141 



THE ROSE 



spreading out their roots evenly and naturally. 
Let it be deep enough to bring the roots about 
the same distance below the surface as the plant 
shows them to have been before it was taken 
from the nursery row. When the roots are 
properly straightened out, fill in about them with 
fine soil, and firm it down well, and then add two 
or three inches more of soil, after which at least 
a pailful of water should be applied to each plant, 
to thoroughly settle the soil between and about 
the roots. Avoid loose planting if you want your 
plants to get a good start, and do well. When 
all the soil has been returned to the hole, add a 
mulch of coarse manure to prevent too rapid 
evaporation of moisture while the plants are put- 
ting forth new feeding roots. 

If large-rooted plants are procured from the 
nursery, quite likely some of the larger roots will 
be injured by the spade in lifting them from the 
row. Look over these roots carefully, and cut 
off the ends of all that have been bruised, before 
planting. A smooth cut will heal readily, but 
a ragged one will not. 

We have several classes or divisions of Roses 
adapted to culture at the north. The June Roses 
are those which give a bountiful crop of flowers 
at the beginning of summer, but none thereafter. 

143 



THE ROSE 



This class includes the Provence, the Mosses, the 
Scotch and Austrian kinds, Harrison's Yellow, 
Madame Plantier, and the climbers. 

The Hybrid Perpetuals bloom profusely in 
early summer, and sparingly thereafter, at in- 
tervals, until the coming of cold weather. These 
are, in many respects, the most beautiful of all 
Roses. 

The ever-bloomers are made up of Bengal, 
Bourbon, Tea and Noisette varieties. These are 
small in habit of growth, but exquisitely beauti- 
ful in form and color, and most kinds are so de- 
lightfully fragrant, and flower so freely from 
June to the coming of cold weather, that no gar- 
den should be without a bed of them. 

The Rugosa Roses are more valuable as shrubs 
than as flowering plants, though their large, 
bright, single flowers are extremely attractive. 
Their chief attraction is their beautifully 
crinkled foliage, of a rich green, and their bright 
crimson fruit which is retained throughout the 
season. This class gives flowers, at intervals, 
from June to October. 

Hybrid Perpetuals must be given special 
treatment in order to secure flowers from them 
throughout the season. Their blossoms are 
always produced on new growth, therefore, if 

143 



THE ROSE 



you would keep them producing flowers, you 
must keep them growing. This is done by feed- 
ing the plant liberally, and cutting back the 
branches upon which flowers have been produced 
to a strong bud from which a new branch can 
be developed. In this way we keep the plant 
constantly renewing itself, and in the process 
of renewal we are likely to get a good many 
flowers where we would get few, or none, if we 
were to let the plant take care of itself. The term 
" perpetual " is, however, a misleading one, as it 
suggests a constant production of flowers. Most 
varieties of this class, as has been said, will bloom 
occasionally, after the first generous crop of the 
season, but never very freely, and often not at 
all unless the treatment outlined above is care- 
fully followed. But so beautiful are the Roses 
of this class that one fine flower is worth a score 
of ordinary blossoms, and the lover of the Rose 
will willingly devote a good deal of time and 
labor to the production of it. 

The Ramblers, now so popular, constitute a 
class by themselves, in many respects. They are 
of wonderfully vigorous habit, have a score or 
more of flowers where others have but one bloom 
early in the season, and give a wonderful show 
of color. The individual blossoms are too small 

144 



THE ROSE 



to please the critical Rose-grower, but there are 
so many in each cluster, and these clusters are so 
numerous, that the general effect is most charm- 
ing. Crimson Rambler is too well known to 
need description. The variety that deserves a 
place at the very head of the list, allowing me to 
be judge, is Dorothy Perkins. This variety is 
of slenderer growth than Crimson Rambler, 
therefore of more vine-like habit, and, on this 
account, better adapted to use about porches and 
verandas, where it can be trained along the cor- 
nice in a graceful fashion that the stiff -branched 
Crimson Rambler will not admit of. Its foliage 
is not so large as that of the other variety named, 
but it is much more attractive, being finely cut, 
and having a glossy surface that adds much to 
the beauty of the plant. But the chief charm of 
the plant is its soft pink flowers, dainty and 
delicate in the extreme. These are produced in 
long, loose sprays instead of crowded clusters, 
thus making the effect of a plant in full bloom 
vastly more graceful than that of any of the 
others of the class. 

Roses have their enemies, and it would seem 
as if there must be some sort of understanding 
among them as to the date of attack, because 
nearly all of them put in an appearance at about 

10 145 



THE ROSE 



the same time. The aphis I find no difficulty in 
keeping down by the use of Nicoticide — a very 
strongly concentrated extract of the nicotine 
principle of tobacco. This should be diluted with 
water, as directed on the cans or bottles in which 
it is put up, and applied to all parts of the bush 
with a sprayer. Do not wait for the aphis to 
appear before beginning warfare against him. 
You can count on his coming, therefore it is well 
to act on the offensive, instead of the defensive, 
for it is an easier matter to keep him away alto- 
gether than it is to get rid of him after he has 
taken possession of your bushes. If he finds the 
tang of Nicoticide clinging to the foliage on his 
arrival, he will speedily conclude that it will be 
^ made extremely uncomfortable for him, if he 
decides to locate, and he will look for more con- 
genial quarters elsewhere. 

For the worm that does so much injury to our 
plants at the time when they are just getting 
ready to bloom, I use an emulsion made by add- 
ing two quarts kerosene to one part of laundry 
soap. The soap should be reduced to a liquid, 
and allowed to become very hot, before the oil is 
added. Then agitate the two rapidly and for- 
cibly until they unite in a jelly-like substance. 
The easiest and quickest way to secure an emul- 

146 



THE ROSE 



sion is by using a brass syringe such as florists 
sprinkle their plants with. Insert it in the vessel 
containing the oil and soap, and draw into it as 
much of the liquids as it will contain, and then 
expel them with as much force as possible, and 
continue to do this until the desired union has 
taken place. Use one part of the emulsion to 
eight or ten parts water, and make sure it reaches 
every portion of the bush. 

In Rose-culture, as in every branch of floricul- 
ture, the price of success is constant vigilance. 
If you do not get the start of insect enemies, 
and keep them under control, they will almost in- 
variably ruin your crop of flowers, and often the 
bushes themselves. Therefore be thorough and 
persistent in the warfare waged against the 
common enemy, and do not relax your efforts 
until he is routed. 

In making a selection of Hybrid Perpetuals 
for home planting, the amateur finds it difficult 
to choose from the long lists sent out by many 
dealers. He wants the best and most represen- 
tative of the class, but he doesn't know which 
these are. If I were asked to select a dozen 
kinds, my choice would be the following: 

Alfred Colomb. Bright crimson. Fragrant. 

Anna de Diesbach. Carmine. Fragrant. 

147 



THE ROSE 



Baroness Rothschild. Soft pink. 
Captain Hayward. Deep rose. Perfect in 
form. 

Frau Carl Druschki. Pure white. 

General Jacqueminot. Brilliant crimson. 
Very sweet, 

Jules Margottin. Rosy crimson. 

Mabel Morrison. White, delicately shaded 
with blush. 

Magna Charta. Glowing carmine. A lovely 
flower. 

Madame Gabriel de Luizet. Delicate pink. 
Exquisite. 

Mrs. John Laing. Soft pink. Very fragrant. 

Ulrich Brunner. Bright cherry red. 

To increase the above list would be to dupli- 
cate colors, for nearly all the other kinds in- 
cluded in the dealers' lists are variations of the 
distinctive qualities of the above. The twelve 
named will give you more pleasure than a larger 
number of less distinctive kinds would, for in 
each merit stands out pre-eminent, and all the 
best qualities of the best Roses are represented 
in the list. 



THE ROSE AS A SUMMER 
REDDER 



HE amateur gardener may 
enjoy Roses from June to 
November if he is willing to 
take a little trouble for 
them. Not, however, with 
the material treated of in 
the chapter on " 'The Rose " 
— though what is said in it relative to the culture 
of the Hybrid Perpetual class applies with con- 
siderable pertinence to the classes of which I 
shall make special mention in this chapter — ^but 
with the summer-blooming sorts, such as the 
Teas, the Bengals, the Bourbons, and the Nois- 
ettes. These are classed in the catalogues as 
ever-bloomers, and the term is much more ap- 
propriate to them than the term Hybrid Per- 
petual is to that section of the great Rose famUy, 
for all of the four classes named above are really 
ever-bloomers if given the right kind of treat- 
ment — ^that is, bloomers throughout the summer 
season. In them we find material from which it 
is easy to secure a constant supply of flowers 

149 




THE ROSE AS A 



from the beginning of summer to the closing 
in of winter. 

In order to grow this class of Roses well, one 
must understand something of their habits. They 
send out strong branches from the base of the 
plant, shortly after planting, and these branches 
will generally bear from five to eight blossoms. 
When all the buds on the branch have developed 
into flowers, nothing more can be expected from 
that branch in the way of bloom, unless it can 
be coaxed to send out other branches. This it can 
be prevailed on to do by close pruning. Cut 
the old branch back to some point along its 
length — preferably near its base — where there is 
a strong " eye " or bud. If the soil is rich — and 
it can hardly be too rich^ for these Roses, like 
those of the kinds treated of in the foregoing 
chapter, require strong food and a great deal of 
it in order to do themselves justice — this bud 
will soon develop into a vigorous branch which, 
like the original one, will bear a cluster of 
flowers. In order to keep a succession of bloom 
it is absolutely necessary to keep the plant pro- 
ducing new branches, as flowers are only borne 
on new growth. It will be noticed that the treat- 
ment required by these Roses is almost identical, 
so far, with that advised for the Hybrid Per- 
petuals. Indeed, the latter are summer ever- 

150 



SUMMER BEDDER 



bloomers of a stronger habit than the class I am 
now speaking about. That is about all the dif- 
ference there is between them, up to this point, 
except as regards the flowering habit. The Hy- 
brid Perpetual blooms profusely in June and 
July, but sparingly thereafter, while the ever- 
bloomers bloom freely all the season after they 
get a good start. 

Fertilizer should be applied at least once a 
month. Not in large quantities, each time, but 
enough to stimulate a strong and healthy growth. 
The plants should be kept going ahead con- 
stantly. Let them get a check, and you will find 
it a difficult matter to get many flowers from 
them after that, the same season. Give them 
the treatment that results in continuous growth 
and you will have Roses in abundance up to the 
coming of cold w^eather. Of course plants so 
treated are not to be expected to attain much 
size. But who cares for large bushes if he can 
have fine flowers and plenty of them? 

The blossoms from the Teas and their kindred 
are never as large as those of the June and the 
Hybrid Perpetual classes, and, as a general 
thing, are not as brilliant in color. Some are de- 
lightfully fragrant, while some have no fragrance 
at all. 

La France, — which is classed as a Hybrid Tea, 

151 



THE ROSE AS A 



because it is the result of hybridizing one of 
the hardier varieties with a pure-blooded Tea 
variety, — is one of the finest Roses ever grown. 
It is large, and fine in form, rich, though not 
brilliant, in color, is a very free bloomer, and 
its fragrance is indescribably sweet. Indeed, all 
the sweetness of the entire Rose family seems 
concentrated in its peculiar, powerful, but, at the 
same time, delicate odor. Color, pale pink. 

Duchess de Brabant is an old variety, popular 
years and years ago, but all the better for that, 
for its long-continued popularity proves it the 
possessor of exceptional merit. It is of very 
free development, and bears large quantities of 
flowers of silvery pink. 

Viscountess Folkestone is, like La France, a 
Hybrid Tea. It is an excellent bloomer. Its 
color is a soft pink, shaded with cream, with 
reflexed petals. It has a rich, June-Rose fra- 
grance. 

Maman Cochet is, all things considered, one 
of the best of its class. It blooms in wonderful 
profusion. It is a strong grower. Its color is 
a bright pink, overlaid with silvery lustre. It is 
very double, and quite as lovely in bud as in the 
expanded flower. 

Hermosa is an old favorite. It is always in 

152 



TEA ROSE 



SUMMER BEDDER 



bloom when well cared for. Its rich carmine- 
rose flowers are very double, and are produced in 
prodigal profusion. But it lacks the charm of 
fragrance. 

Caprice is a very peculiar variety. Its thick, 
waxen petals of rosy carmine are heavily 
blotched and striped with dark red, shading to 
crimson. It is most pleasing when the flower 
begins to expand. 

Perle des Jardins is a most lovely Rose, of 
almost as rich a color as the famous Marechal 
Neil, — a deep, glowing yellow, — lovely beyond 
description. It is a very free bloomer, and 
should be given a place in all collections. 

Sunset — another good bloomer — is a tawny 
yellow in color, flamed with fawn and coppery 
tints. It is an exquisite Rose. 

Clothilde Soupert does not properly belong to 
either of the four classes mentioned above, 
though of course closely related. It is cata- 
logued as a Polyantha. Its habit is peculiar. 
It bears enormous quantities of flowers, with 
the greatest freedom of any Rose I have ever 
grown, but its blossoms are small, and are pro- 
duced in clusters quite unlike those of the other 
members of the ever-blooming class. Indeed, 
its habit of growth and flowering is quite like 

153 



THE ROSE AS A 



that of the Rambler varieties, on a small scale. 
But, imlike the Ramblers, its flowers are very 
double. They are produced at the extremity 
of the new branches, in clusters of fifteen to 
twenty and thirty. So many are there to each 
branch that you will find it advisable to thin out 
half of them if you want perfect flowers. In 
color it is a delicate pink on first opening, fading 
to almost white. At the centre of the flower 
it is a bright carmine. Give this variety a trial 
and you will be delighted with it. 

It must not be understood that the above list 
includes all the desirable sorts adapted to general 
culture. It is simply a list of the most distinct 
varieties that respond satisfactorily to the treat- 
ment outlined, and from which the amateur gar- 
dener can expect the best results. There are 
scores of other varieties possessing exceptional 
merit, but many of them require the attention 
of the professional in order to give satisfaction, 
and are not what I feel warranted in recom- 
mending the amateur to imdertake the culture of 
if large quantities of flowers are what he has in 
mind. Every one on the list given is a standard 
variety, and you will find that you have made no 
mistake in confining your selection to it. 

I would advise the purchase of two-year-old 

154 



SUMMER BEDDER 



plants. Younger plants seldom bloom with much 
profusion the first season. 

Order your plants in April. Get them into 
the ground about the middle of May. Mulch the 
soil about them well. This will do away with the 
necessity of watering if the season happens to 
prove a dry one. In planting, be governed by 
the directions given in the chapter on " The 
Rose." 

Try a bed of these ever-bloomers for a season 
and you will never afterward be without them. 
Other flowers will rival them in brilliance, per- 
haps, and may require less attention, but — they 
will not be Roses! One fine Rose affords more 
pleasure to the lover of the best among flowers 
than a whole garden full of ordinary blossoms 
can, and this is why I urge all flower-loving peo- 
ple to undertake the culture of the ever-blooming 
class of Roses, for I know they will give greater 
satisfaction than anything else you can grow. 

In fall, the plants can be taken up, packed 
away in boxes of earth, and kept in the cellar 
over winter. Cut away almost the entire top 
when the plants are lifted. All that one cares to 
carry through the winter is the root of the plant. 



THE DAHLIA 



HIRTY or forty years ago 
the Dahlia was one of our 
popular flowers. That is, 
popular among those who 
aspired to " keep up with 
the times," and grow all the 
new plants that had real 
merit in them. At that time but one form of it 
was considered worth growing, and that was the 
very double, globular type of flower. The single 
varieties were looked upon as worthless. 

After a time the popularity of the flower 
waned for some reason hard to account for, ex- 
cept on the theory that there are fashions in 
flowers as in clothes. I presume that the true 
explanation is that we Americans are prone to 
run to extremes, and when we take up a plant 
and it becomes a favorite we overdo matters and 
tire of it because we see so much of it. Then we 
relegate it to the background for a time, and 
after awhile we drag it out of the obscurity to 
which we temporarily consigned it as a penalty 
for its popularity, and straightway it comes into 

156 




THE DAHLIA 



greater prominence than ever, precisely as does 
the cut of a sleeve or the style of hair-dressing. 
This explanation may not be very complimentary 
to American good sense or taste, but I think it 
goes to the root of the matter. It is sincerely to 
be hoped that the time will come when our flower- 
growing will have no trace of the fad about it, 
and that whatever we cultivate will grow into 
favor solely because of real merit, and that its 
popularity will be permanent. I am encouraged 
to think that such may be the case, for some of 
the favorite flowers of the day have held their 
own against all newcomers for a considerable 
period, and seem to be growing in favor every 
year. This is as it should be. 

It used to be thought that the Dahlia could not 
be grown successfully at the north if it were not 
started into growth in the house, or greenhouse, 
very early in the season. Nine times out of ten 
the result was a weak, spindling plant by the 
time it was safe to put it into the ground — 
which was not until all danger from frost was 
over. Generally such plants were not strong 
enough to bloom until about the time frost came 
in fall, for it took them the greater part of the 
season to recover from the effect of early forcing, 
in which the vitality of the plant suffered almost 

157 



THE DAHLIA 



to the point of extinction, and to which was 
added the ordeal of the change from in- to out- 
door conditions. " Our seasons are too short for 
it," was the universal verdict. " At the south 
it may do well, but there's no use in trying to do 
anything with it at the north unless one has 
a greenhouse, and understands the peculiarities 
of the plant better than the rank and file of 
flower-loving people can expect to." So it came 
about that its cultivation was given up by small 
gardeners, and it was seen only on the grounds 
of the wealthier people, who could afford the 
services of the professional gardener. 

We have learned, of late years, that our treat- 
ment of the plant was almost the opposite of 
what was required. 

Some eight or ten years ago, I ordered a col- 
lection of choice varieties of the Dahlia. I 
ordered them early in the season, expecting to 
start them into growth in pots as usual. For 
some reason they did not come until the last day 
of May. It was then too late to start them in 
the usual way, and I planted them in the garden, 
expecting they would amount to nothing. 

The result was, to me, a most surprising one. 

The place in which I planted them was one 
whose soil was very rich and mellow. It was 

158 



THE DAHLIA 



near a pump, from which a great deal of water 
was thrown out every day. 

In less than a week after planting, the tubers 
threw up strong shoots, and these grew very 
rapidly under the combined effects of rich soil, 
warmth, and plenty of moisture at the roots. 
Indeed, they went ahead so rapidly that I con- 
sidered their growth a discouraging feature, as 
I felt sure it must be a weak one. 

The result was that when the State Horticul- 
tural Society held its summer meeting in the vil- 
lage in which I resided, on the twenty-eighth of 
August, I placed on exhibition some of the finest 
specimens of Dahlia blossoms the members of 
the Society had ever seen, and carried off eight 
first premiums. 

Since then I have never attempted to start my 
Dahlias in the house. I give them an extremely 
rich soil, spaded up to the depth of at least a foot 
and a half, and made so mellow that the new 
roots find it an easy matter to work their way 
through it. Water is applied freely during the 
season. I consider this an item of great impor- 
tance, as I find that the plant fails to make satis- 
factory development when located in a dry place. 
A pailful of water a day is not too much to 
apply to each plant in a dry season. 

159 



THE DAHLIA 



The soil must be rich. In a poor soil develop- 
ment will be on a par with that of plants which 
have been given a dry place. 

Because of the peculiar brittleness of the stalks 
of the Dahlia it is quite necessary to furnish them 
with good support. My plan is to set a stout 
stake by each plant, at planting-time. This 
should be at least five feet tall. I put it in place 
at the time of planting the tuber, because then I 
know just where the root of the future plant is, 
and can set the stake without injuring it. But if 
stake-setting is left until later in the season one 
runs a risk of breaking off some of the new 
tubers that have formed about the old one. I tie 
the main stalk of the plant to the stake with a 
strip of cloth instead of a string, as the latter 
will cut into the soft wood. Sometimes, if the 
plant sends up a good many stalks, it will be 
necessary to furnish additional support. Unless 
some kind of support is given we are likely to 
get up some morning after a heavy rain, or a 
sudden wind, and find our plants broken down, 
and in attempting to save them we are pretty 
sure to complete the week, as a slight twist or 
turn in the wrong direction will snap the stalk 
off at its junction with the root. 

The Dahlia will be found one of our very best 

160 



/ 



THE DAHLIA 



plants for use in the border where something is 
needed for a filler. It is very effective as a 
hedge, and can be used to great advantage to 
hide a fence. Single specimens are fine for 
prominent locations on the grounds about the 
house. In fact, it is a plant that can be made 
useful anywhere. 

In fall, when our early frosts come, it will be 
necessary to protect it on cool nights, as it is 
extremely tender. This can be easily done by 
setting some stout sticks about the plant and 
covering it with a sheet. If tided over the frosty 
weather that usually comes for two or three 
nights about the middle of September, it will 
bloom profusely during the weeks of pleasant 
weather that almost always follow the early 
frosts, and then is when it will be enjoyed most. 

When the frost has killed its stalks, it should 
be dug and got ready for winter. Lift the great 
mass of roots that will have grown from the little 
tuber planted at the beginning of the season, and 
do this without breaking them apart, if possible. 
Spread them out in the sun. At night cover 
with a blanket, and next day expose them to 
sunshine again. Do this for several days in suc- 
cession until the soil that is lifted with them will 

crumble away easily. Exposure to sunshine has 
n 161 . 



I 



THE DAHLIA 



the effect of relieving them of a good deal of 
moisture which they contain in great quantity 
when first dug, and which ought to be got rid of, 
in a large degree, before they are stored in the 
cellar. 

The tubers should never be placed on the 
cellar-bottom, because of the dampness that is 
generally found there. I spread mine out on 
shelves of wire netting, suspended four or five 
feet from the floor. If they show signs of mould 
I know they are too damp, and elevate the shelves 
still more, in order to get the tubers into a dryer 
stratum of air. If they seem to be shrivelling 
too much, I lower the shelves a little. Cellars 
differ so much that one can only tell where the 
right place is by experimenting. Watch your 
tubers carefully. A little neglect will often re- 
sult in failure, as mould, once given a chance to 
secure a foothold, is rapid in its action, and your 
tubers may be beyond help before you discover 
that there is anything the matter with them. As 
soon as you find a mouldy root, throw it out. If 
left it will speedily communicate its disease to 
every plant with which it comes in contact. Some 
persons tell me that they succeed in wintering 
their Dahlia tubers best by packing them in 
boxes of perfectly dry sand. If this is done, be 

162 



THE DAHLIA 



sure to elevate the box from the floor of the 
cellar. 

Quite naturally persons have an idea that the 
best results will be secured by planting out the 
whole bunch of tubers, in spring. This is a 
mistake. One good tuber, with an " eye," or 
growing point, will make a much better plant 
than the whole bunch set out together. 

To sum up the treatment I advise in the culti- 
vation of the Dahlia: 

Have the ground very rich. 

Have it worked deeply. 

Plant single tubers about the first of June. 

Furnish a good support. 

See that the ground is well supplied with 
moisture. 

There has been a great change of opinion with 
regard to the Dahlia. We no longer confine 
ourselves to one type of it. The single varieties, 
which were despised of old, are now prime favor- 
ites — preferred by many to any other kind. The 
old very double " show " and " fancy " varieties 
are largely grown, but they share public favor 
with the " decoratives," the pompones, and the 
cactus, and, as I have said, the single forms. 
Which of these forms is most popular it would 
be hard to say. All of them have enthusiastic 

X63 



THE DAHLIA 



champions, and the best thing to do is to try them 
all. 

" Show " Dahlias are those mth large and 
very double flowers of a single color, and those 
in which the ground color is of a lighter shade 
than the edges or tips of the petals. The outer 
petals recurve, as the flower develops, until they 
meet at the stem, thus giving us a ball-like 
blossom. 

" Fancy " Dahlias are those having striped 
petals, and those in which the ground color is 
darker than the edges or tips of the petals. This 
class, as a rule, is very variable, and a plant will 
often have flowers shomng but one color. Some- 
times half the flower vnll be one color, half 
another. 

The Pompone or Liliputian class is a minia- 
ture edition of the show and fancy sorts, quite as 
rich in color and perfect in form as either, but 
of a dwarf habit of growth. This class is well 
adapted to bedding out in summer. 

The Cactus Dahlia has long pointed or twisted 
petals. Most varieties are single, but some are 
semi-double. This is the class that will be likely 
to find favor with those who admire the ragged 
Japanese Chrysanthemums. 

Decorative Dahlias have broad, flat petals, 

164 



THE DAHLIA 



somewhat loosely arranged, and much less for- 
mal than those of the show, fancy, or pompone 
sorts. Their flowers seldom have more than two 
rows of petals, and are flat, showing a yellow 
disc at the centre. As a general thing they are 
produced on long stalk, a flower to a stalk. This 
makes them very useful for cutting. They are 
the most graceful members of the entire Dahlia 
family, allowing me to be judge. 

The single type has but one row of petals. 
Plants of this class are very strong growers, and 
can be used to advantage in the back rows of the 
border. 

No flower in cultivation to-day has a wider 
range of color than the Dahlia, and nearly all the 
colors represented in it are wonderfully rich in 
tone. From the purest white to the richest 
crimson, the deepest scarlet, delicate pink and 
carmine, rich yellow, dark purple, orange and 
palest primrose, — surely all tastes can find some- 
thing to please them. 



THE GLADIOLUS 



NE of the most popular 
flowers of the day is the 
Gladiolus. All things 
considered, it is our best 
summer bloomer. Noth- 
ing in the floral world ex- 
ceeds it in variety and 
range of color. This color is in some varieties 
dark and rich in scarlets, crimsons, and purples, 
in others dainty and delicate in pink, pearly flesh, 
almost pure white, and softest rose, while the 
midway sorts are in brilliant carmines, cherry- 
reds, lilacs, and intermediate tones too numerous 
to mention. Nearly all varieties show most mag- 
nificent combinations of color that baffle descrip- 
tion. Comparatively few varieties are one color 
throughout. 

Most plants in which such a bewildering 
variety of color is found have a tendency to 
coarseness, but this objection cannot be urged 
against the Gladiolus. It has all the delicacy of 
the Orchid. Its habit of growth fits it admirably 
for use in the border. Its ease of cultivation 

166 




THE GLADIOLUS 



makes it a favorite with the amateur who has 
only a limited amount of time to spend among 
the flowers. It is a plant that any one can grow, 
and it is a plant that will grow almost anywhere. 
It is one of the few plants that seem almost able 
to take care of themselves. Beyond putting the 
corms in the ground, in spring, and an occasional 
weeding as the plant develops, very little atten- 
tion is required. 

To secure the best effect from it, the Gladiolus 
should be planted in masses. Single specimens 
are far less satisfactory. One must see fifty or 
a hundred plants in a bed ten or fifteen feet long 
to fully appreciate what it is capable of doing. 

The time to plant it is in May, after the soil 
has become warm. Nothing is gained by earlier 
planting. 

The bed should be spaded to the depth of a 
foot, at least. Then the soil should be worked 
over until it is fine and light. A liberal quantity 
of some good fertilizer should be added to it. 
Commercial fertilizers seem to suit it well, but the 
use of barnyard manure gives excellent results, 
and I would prefer it, if obtainable. 

The corms should be put about four inches be- 
low the surface, care being exercised at the time 
of planting to see that they are right side up. It 

167 



THE GLADIOLUS 



is often difficult to decide this matter before 
sprouting begins, but a little careful examination 
of the corm will soon enable you to tell where 
the sprouts will start from, and this will prevent 
you from getting it wrong-side up. As soon 
as the plants send up a stalk, some provision 
should be made for future support. If you pre- 
fer to stake the beds, set the stakes in rows about 
two feet apart. Wire or cord need not be 
stretched on them until the stalks are half grown. 
The reason for setting the stakes early in the 
season is — you know just where the corm is then, 
but later on you will not be able to tell where the 
new corms are, and in setting the stakes at ran- 
dom you are quite likely to injure them. When 
you apply the cord or wire to the stakes, run it 
lengthwise of the bed, and then across it in order 
to furnish a sufficient support without obliging 
the stalks to lean from the perpendicular to get 
the benefit of it. 

For several seasons past, I have made use of a 
coarse-meshed wire netting, placed over the bed, 
and fastened to stakes about eighteen inches 
high. The stalks find no difficulty in making 
their way through the large meshes of the net- 
ting, and with a support of this kind they dispose 
themselves in a natural manner that is far more 

168 



THE GLADIOLUS 



satisfactory than tying them to stakes, as we 
often see done. Some kind of a support must 
be given if we would guard against injury caused 
by strong winds. When the flower-stalk is once 
prostrated it is a difficult matter to get it back in 
place without breaking it. 

If netting is used it need not be placed over 
the bed before the middle of July. By that time 
most of the weeds which require attention during 
the early part of the season will have been dis- 
posed of. Putting on the netting at an earlier 
period would greatly interfere with the proper 
cultivation of the bed. The soil should be kept 
light and open until the flower-stalks begin to 
show their buds. 

The flowering-period covers several weeks, be- 
ginning in August, and lasting all through Sep- 
tember. 

The Gladiolus is extremely effective for in- 
terior decorative work. It lasts for days after 
being cut. Indeed, if cut when the first flowers 
at the base of the spike open, it will continue to 
develop the buds above until all have become 
flowers, if the water in which the stalks are placed 
is changed daily, and a bit of the end of the stalk 
is cut off each time. For church use no flower 
excels it except the Lily, and that we can have 

169 



THE GLADIOLUS 



for only a short time, and quite often not at all. 

In late October the plants should be lifted, 
and spread out in the sunshine to ripen. Do not 
cut the stalks away until you are ready to store 
the corms. Then cut off each stalk about two 
inches from its junction with the corm. When 
the roots seem well dried out, put them in paper 
bags containing perfectly dry sawdust or buck- 
wheat shells, and hang them in a dry place where 
the frost will not get at them. I would not 
advise storing them in the cellar, as they gener- 
ally mould or mildew there. 

Most varieties increase quite rapidly. You 
will find several new corms in fall, taking the 
place of the old one planted in spring. Often 
there will be scores of little fellows the size of a 
pea, clustered about the larger corms. These 
should be saved, and planted out next spring. 
Sow them close together in rows, as you would 
iwheat. The following year they will bloom. 

So extensively is the Gladiolus grown at the 
present time that enough to fill a good-sized bed 
can be bought for a small sum. And in no other 
way can you invest a little money and be sure of 
such generous returns. What the Geranium is 
to the window-garden that the Gladiolus is to the 
outdoor garden, and one is of as easy culture as 
the other. 

170 




A GAKDEN GLEMPSE 



THE GLADIOLUS 



Some of the choicest varieties are sold at a high 
price. One reason for this is — the finest varieties 
are slow to increase, and it takes a long time to 
get much of a stock together. This is why they 
are so rare, and so expensive. But many of 
them are well worth all that is asked for them. 

You may have a mixed collection of a thousand 
plants and fail to find a worthless variety among 
them. Indeed, some of the very finest flowers 
I have ever had have been grown from collec- 
tions that cost so little that one hardly expected 
to find anything but the commonest flowers 
among them. 



LILIES 



HE Rose, like the Lily, is a 
general favorite. It has 
more than once disputed the 
claim of its rival to the title 
of Queen of Flowers, and 
though it has never suc- 
ceeded in taking the place 
of the latter in the estimation of the average 
flower-lover, it occupies a position in the floral 
world that no other flower dare aspire to. 

This plant does well only in soils that have 
the best of drainage. Water, if allowed to stand 
about its roots in spring, will soon be the death 
of it. 

Therefore, in planting it be sure to choose a 
location that is naturally well drained, or provide 
artificial drainage that will make up for the lack 
of natural drainage. This is an item you cannot 
afford to overlook if you want to grow the finest 
varieties of Lilies in your garden. Some of our 
native Lilies grow on low lands, and do well 
there, but none of the choicer kinds would long 
survive under such conditions. The probabili- 

172 




LILIES 



ties are that if we planted them there we would 
never see anything more of them. 

The ideal soil for the Lily seems to be a fine 
loam. I have grown good ones, however, in a 
soil containing considerable clay and gravel. 
This was on a sidehill where drainage was per- 
fect. Had the location been lower, or a level one, 
very likely the plants would not have done so 
well. . 

The bulbs should be put into the ground as' 
early in September as possible. 

On no account allow the bulbs to be exposed to 
the air. If you do, they will rapidly part with 
the moisture stored up in their scales, and this 
is their life-blood. 

It is a good plan to put a handful of clean, 
coarse sand about each bulb at planting-time. 

If barnyard manure is used, — and there is 
nothing better in the way of fertilizer for any 
bulb, — be sure that it is old and well rotted. On 
no account should fresh manure be allowed to 
come in contact with a Lily. If barnyard ma- 
nure is not to be had, use bonemeal. Mix it well 
with the soil before putting the bulbs into it. 

Bulbs of ordinary size should be planted about 
eight inches below the surface. If in groups, 
about a foot apart. 



LILIES 



The best place for Lilies, so far as show goes, 
is among shrubbery, or in the border. 

Below I give a list of the best varieties for 
general cultivation, with a brief description of 
each: 

Auratum (the Gold-Banded Lily) . — ^Probably 
the most popular member of the family, though 
by no means the most beautiful. Flowers white, 
dotted with crimson, with a gold band running 
through each petal. 

Speciosum album, — beautiful pure-white 
variety. Deliciously fragrant. 

Speciosum rubrum (the Crimson-Banded 
Lily). — Flowers white with a red band down 
each petal. 

Brownsii. — splendid variety. Flowers very 
large, and trumpet-shaped. Chocolate-purple 
outside, pure white within, with dark brown sta- 
mens that contrast finely with the whiteness of 
the inner part of the petals. 

Tigrinum (Tiger Lily). — One of the hardiest 
of all Lilies. Flowers orange-red, spotted with 
brownish-black. This will succeed where none of 
the others will. Should be given a place in all 
gardens. 

Superbum. — The finest of all our native Lilies. 
jOrange flowers, spotted with purple. Often 

174 



LILIES 



grows to a height of eight feet, therefore is well 
adapted to prominent positions in the border. 

While the Lily of the Valley is, strictly speak- 
ing, not a Lily, it deserves mention here. It is 
one of the most beautiful flowers we grow, of 
the purest white, and with the most delightful 
fragrance, and foliage that admirably sets off 
the exquisite loveliness of its flowers. No gar- 
den that lives up to its privileges " will be 
without it. It does best in a shady place. Almost 
any soil seems to suit it. It is very hardy. It 
spreads rapidly, sending up a flower-stalk from 
every " pip." When the ground becomes com- 
pletely matted with it, it is well to go over the 
bed and cut out portions here and there. The 
roots thus cut away can be broken apart and 
used in the formation of new beds, of which there 
can hardly be too many. The roots of the old 
plants will soon fill the places from which these 
were taken, and the old bed will be all the better 
for its thinning-out. Coming so early in spring, 
we appreciate this most beautiful plant more 
than we do any flower of the later season. And 
no flower of any time can excel it in daintiness, 
purity, and sweetness. 



PLANTS FOR SPECIAL 
PURPOSES 



MATEUR gardeners are 
always wanting plants for 
some special purpose, and, 
for their benefit, I propose 
to devote this chapter to 
" special-purpose " inforpia- 
tion. 

" What shall we grow to shade doors and win- 
dows? We want something that will grow rap- 
idly. If a flowering vine, all the better, but shade 
is the all-important consideration." 

The best large-growing vine for this purpose, 
all things considered, is the Wild Cucumber. 
No other annual vine exceeds it in rapidity of 
growth. It will grow twenty o^ twen-y-five feet 
in a season, if given something to support it to 
that height, therefore it is very useful about the 
second-story windows, which height few of our 
annual vines attain. It has very bright-green, 
pretty foliage, somewhat resembling that of the 
native Grape, though not so large. About mid- 
summer it comes into bloom. Its flowers are 

176 




FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES 



white, — delicate, fringy little things, in spikes, 
with a very agreeable fragrance, especially in the 
morning when wet with dew, — and there are so 
many of them that the vine looks as if drifted 
over with a fall of snow. The plant has tendrils 
by which it attaches itself to anything with which 
it comes in contact, consequently strings, lattice- 
work, or wire netting answer equally well for its 
support. Its tendency is to go straight up, if 
whatever support is given encourages it to do so, 
but if you think advisable to divert it from its 
upward course all you have to do is to stretch 
strings in whatever direction you want it to grow, 
and it will follow them. Its flowers are followed 
by balloon-shaped fruit, covered with prickly 
spines — little ball-shaped cucumbers, hence the 
popular name of the plant. When the seeds 
ripen, the ball or po<i bursts open, and the black 
seeds are,5hot out with considerable force, often 
to a distance of twenty feet or more. In this 
way the plant soon spreads itself all over the 
garden, and next spring you will have seedling 
plants by the hundred. It soon becomes a wild 
plant, and is often seen growing all along the 
roadside, and never quite so much " at home " 
as when it finds a thicket of bushes to clamber 

over. It has one drawback, however, which will 
12 m 



PLANTS FOR 



be especially noticeable when the plant is domes- 
ticated: Its early leaves ripen and fall off while 
those farther up the vine are in their prime, and 
remain so until frost comes. But this defect can 
easily be remedied by growing some tall plant at 
the base of the vines to hide their nakedness. 

Another most excellent vine is the good old 
Morning Glory, with its blue, purple, violet, 
pink, carmine, and white flowers produced in 
such profusion that they literally cover its upper 
branches during the early part of the day. This 
is a very satisfactory vine to train about door and 
window. Do not give it ordinary twine as a 
support, as the weight of the vines, when well 
developed, is almost sure to break it do"svn. 
Stout cord, such as is used in binding grain, is the 
best thing I know of, as it is rather rough, thus 
enabling the vine to take hold of it with good 
eflPect. This is a rapid grower, and a wonder- 
fully free bloomer, and it will give you flowers 
throughout the season. It is much showier than 
the Wild Cucumber, but its foliage lacks the 
delicacy w^hich characterizes that plant. 

Another good vine for covering porches, veran- 
das, and summer-houses, is the Japan Hop. 
This plant — it is an annual, like the other two 
of which mention has been made — has foliage of 

178 



SPECIAL PURPOSES 



a rich, dark green, broadly and irregularly 
blotched and marbled with creamy white and 
pale yellow. It grows rapidly, and gives a dense 
shade. 

" I would like a sort of hedge, or screen, be- 
tween the flower and the vegetable garden. 
What plants would you advise for this pur- 
pose? " 

The Zinnia is an excellent plant where a low 
hedge is desired. It averages a height of three 
feet. It is compact and symmetrical in habit, 
branching quite close to the ground. It is a rapid 
grower, and of the very easiest culture. It comes 
into bloom in July, and continues to produce 
great quantities of flowers, shaped like miniature 
Dahlias, in red, scarlet, pink, yellow, orange, and 
wliite, until frost comes. It makes a most gor- 
geous show. 

Kochia, more commonly known as " Burning 
Bush " or " Mexican Fire-Plant," is a charming 
thing all through the season. In summer it is a 
pleasing green. In fall it turns to a brilliant 
red, hence its popular names, as given above. 
Its habit is very compact, and one of great sym- 
metry. If the plants are set about a foot apart, 
and in two rows, — ^these rows a foot apart, — ^you 
will have a low hedge that will be as smooth as 

179 



PLANTS FOR 



one of Arbor Yiisd after the gardener has given 
it its annual shearing. When the bush takes on 
its autumnal coloring it is as showy as a plant can 
well be, and is always sure of attracting atten- 
tion, and being greatly admired. 

Amaranthus is another very pleasing plant for 
hedge purposes. It grows to a height of about 
four feet. Some varieties have a dark, bronze- 
green foliage, others foliage of a dull, rich 
Indian-red, while some are yellow-green — quite 
rare among plants of this class. The flowers, 
which are small, individually, are thickly set 
along pendant stems, and give the efF ect of ropes 
of chenille. In color they are a dull red, not 
at all showy in the sense of brilhance, but really 
charming when seen dropping in great profusion 
against the richly colored foliage. Our grand- 
mothers grew the original varieties of this plant 
under the name of " Prince's Plume," " Prince's 
Feather," or " Love Lies Bleeding." But since 
the florists have taken it in hand, and greatly im- 
proved it, it no longer retains the good old names 
which always meant something. To secure the 
best results with this plant, when grown as a 
hedge or screen, set it in rows about a foot apart, 
each way, and use some of the dwarf sorts for the 
front row. Or a flowering plant of contrasting 
color — ^like the Nasturtium, or the double yellow 



SPECIAL PURPOSES 



Marigold, or the velvety African variety, with 
flowers of a dark maroon shading to blackish- 
brown — can be grown at its base, with fine eff ect. 

Sweet Peas make a good screen if given 
proper support, and planted thickly. 

" I would like a large group or bed of orna- 
mental foliaged plants on the lawn, but have 
grown rather tired of Cannas and Caladiums. 
What would you suggest? I don't want any- 
thing hard to grow." 

If very large plants are wanted, I would ad- 
vise, as best of all, Ricinus, better known, per- 
haps, as Castor Bean, or Castor Plant. This is 
an annual of wonderfully vigorous growth. It 
often reaches a height of ten feet, in good soil, 
with a corresponding spread of branches. Its 
leaves are often a yard across, of a dark coppery 
bronze, with a purplish metallic lustre that makes 
the plant very striking. The best effect is se- 
cured by growing four or five plants in a group. 
None of the tropical plants that have come into 
prominence in gardening, during the past ten 
or twelve years, are nearly as effective as this 
€asily-grown annual, whose seeds sell at five 
cents a package. For a very prominent location 
on the lawn or anywhere about the home-grounds 
no better plant could be selected. 

The Amaranthus advised for hedge use makes 

181 



PLANTS FOR 



a very showy circular bed on the lawn when 
grown in large masses, in the centre, surrounded 
with flowering plants of a strongly contrasting 
but harmonious color. The Calliopsis, rich 
golden-yellow marked with brown, combines 
charmingly with the dull, deep, rich reds w^hich 
characterize the foliage and flowers of the most 
desirable varieties of this too much neglected 
annual. There are new varieties advertised of 
rather dwarf habit, with golden-green foliage^ 
that could be used about the red-leaved kinds 
with fine efi*ect. 

" I would like a bed of very brilliant flowers 
for the front yard. Can't have many, for I 
haven't time to take care of them, so want those 
which will give the most show for the least 
trouble. Would like something so bright that it 
will compel people to stop and look at it. What 
shaU I get?" 

An exceedingly brilliant combination can be 
made by the use of scarlet Salvia, as the centre 
of a bed six or eight feet across, with Calliopsis 
surrounding it. The scarlet and yellow of these 
two flowers will make the place fairly blaze with 
color, and they will continue to bloom until frost 
comes. They require next to no care. 

The annual Phlox makes a fine show if proper 

182 



SPECIAL PURPOSES 



care is taken in the arrangement of the various 
colors with a view to contrast. The pale rose 
variety combines beautifully with the pure whites 
and pale yellows. A bed of these three colors 
alone will be found much more satisfactory than 
one in which a larger number of colors are used. 
Set each color in a row by itself. Such a bed will 
" compel " persons to stop and admire it, but they 
will do it for the sake of its beauty rather than 
its great brilliance. 

Petunias are excellent plants for large beds 
where a strong show of color is desired. They 
bloom early, continue through the season, and 
require very little care. 

The Shirley Poppy makes a brave show about 
the last of July, but after that it soon dies. If it 
were an all-season bloomer it would be one of 
our most popular plants for producing a bril- 
liant eff ect. I would advise using it, and filling 
the bed in which it grew with other plants, after 
its flowering period was over. Its rich colors 
and satiny texture make it a plant that always 
attracts attention. 

Scarlet Geraniums are used a great deal where 
a strong color-show is desired, but they are not as 
satisfactory as. many other plants because of their 
ragged look, after a little, unless constantly given 

183 



PLANTS FOR 



care. The first flowers in truss will fade, and 
their discolored petals will spoil the effect of the 
flowers that come after them if they are allowed 
to remain. It is not much of a task to go over 
the plants and pull out these faded flowers every 
day, but we are not likely to do this. I prefer 
single Geraniums to double ones for garden use, 
because they drop their old petals, and never take 
on the ragged appearance which characterizes the 
ordinary bedding Geranium. 

" I would like a low bed — that is, a bed near the 
path where it will be looked down upon. Tall 
plants would be out of place there. Tell me of 
a few of the best kinds for such a location." 

The Portulacca is well adapted to such use, as 
it never grows to be more than three or four 
inches in height, but spreads in a manner to make 
it look like a green carpet, upon which it displays 
its flowers of red, rose, scarlet, yellow and white 
with very vivid effect. This plant might well be 
called a vegetable salamander, as it flourishes in 
dry, hot locations where other plants would 
utterly fail. It fairly revels in the hot sunshine 
of midsummer. 

The good old Verbena is another very desirable 
plant for a low bed. It is of spreading habit, 
blooms profusely and constantly, and comes in a 
wide range of beautiful colors. 

184 



SPECIAL PURPOSES 



The Ageratum is a lovely plant for a low bed, 
with its great masses of soft lavender flowers. 
Fine effects are secured by using dark yellow 
Coleus or golden Pansies as an edging, these 
colors contrasting exquisitely with the dainty 
lavender-blue of the Ageratum. 

"What flowers shall we grow to cut from? 
IWould like something that is not coarse, and 
something that will bloom for a long time, and 
has long stems." 

At the head of the list I would place the Sweet 
Pea. This is a favorite, everywhere, for cutting. 
The most useful varieties are the delicate rose 
and white ones, the pure whites, the pale pinks, 
the dainty lavenders, and the soft primrose 
yellows. 

The Nasturtium is an old favorite for cutting, 
and a corner of every garden ought to be given 
up to a few plants of it for the special purpose 
of furnishing cut flowers. 

The Aster is a magnificent flower, — it seems 
to be growing better and better each year, if such 
a thing is possible, — and nothing else among the 
annuals compares with it in lasting quality, when 
cut. If the water in which it is placed is changed 
daily, it will last for two weeks, and seem as fresh 
at the end of that time as when first cut. The 
most useful variety for cutting is the " Branch- 

185 



PLANTS FOR 



ing Aster," with stems a foot or more in length. 
This makes the flowers of this class particularly 
useful for vases. I would advise growing three 
colors, when it is wanted solely for cutting — 
white, pale rose, and delicate lavender. 

The newer varieties of Dahlia — especially the 
" decorative " section — are superb for cutting. 
Their flowers are not formal like those of the old 
double kinds, and being borne on long stalks, 
they can be arranged very gracefully. Like 
the Aster, they last well. They will be found 
among the most useful of our late flowers for 
large vases, and where striking and brilliant 
eff*ects of color are desired. 

The Gladiolus is also well adapted to cutting, 
and is very eflfective when used in tall vases, the 
entire stalk being taken. 

Scabiosa, often known as " Mourning Bride," 
is an excellent plant for vase-use, and deserves 
more attention than it has heretofore enjoyed. 
Its flowers are quite unlike most other annuals 
in color, and will be appreciated on that account. 
The dark purple varieties combine delightfully 
with those of a lighter tone in yellow, and with 
pure whites. As the blossoms are produced on 
long stems, they dispose themselves very grace- 
fully when used in rather deep vases. 

186 



SPECIAL PURPOSES 



Every garden should have several plants of 
Mignonette in it, grown for the especial purpose 
of cutting from. This is one of the most fra- 
grant flowers we have among the annuals. 

For small vases — ^little vases for the breakfast 
table, or the desk, and for gifts to friends — one 
ought to grow quantities of Heliotropes, Tea 
Roses, and Pansies. 

To cut from, early in spring, nothing is love- 
lier than the Lily of the Valley. 

For larger vases, the Dicentra is always pleas- 
ing, coming close after the Lily of the Valley. 
Cut it with a good deal of foliage, and be careful 
to give each stalk ample room in which to adjust 
itself. A vase with a flaring top is what this 
flower ought to have, as its stalks have just the 
curve that fits the flare. A straight vase obliges 
it to stand up so primly that half the charm of 
the flower is destroyed. 

For late fall cutting, there is no other flower 
quite equal to the Cosmos. The pink and white 
varieties are lovely when cut by the branch, and 
used in large vases. They seem especially 
adapted to church decoration. 

" We want some flowers that will bloom late 
in the season. Are there any that can be de^ 
pended on after early frosts 

187 



FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES 



Yes. First on the list I would name the Aster. 
This sturdy annual is seldom at its best before the 
first frosts, and can be considered in its prime 
during the first half of October. And it will last 
until cold weather sets in. 

Ten Week Stock— the "Gillyflower" of 
grandmother's garden — ^is a late bloomer. The 
snows of November often find it full of flowers, 
and are powerless to injure it. It is delightfully 
fragrant, and particularly adapted to cutting, 
because of its long spikes of bloom. It comes in 
white, rosy-purple, red, and sulphur-yellow. 

The Marguerite Carnation deserves a place in 
every garden because of its great beauty, and its 
late-flowering habit. While not all the plants 
grown from seed will give double flowers, a large 
share of them will be so, and in form, size, and 
color they will compare very favorably with the 
greenhouse varieties of this favorite flower. 
Most of them will have the true Carnation fra- 
grance. For choice little bouquets, for home use, 
or to give your especial friends nothing can be 
more satisfactory. You can expect a dozen 
flowers from each plant where you would get 
but one from the greenhouse sorts. 



ARBORS, SUMMER-HOUSES, 
PERGOLAS, AND OTHER 
GARDEN FEATURES 



EW persons who daily pass 
attractive homes in the sub- 
urban districts of our large 
cities and the outlying coun- 
try, realize that much of 
their charm is due to effects 
which require a compara- 
tively small outlay in dollars and cents. Good 
taste, combined with a degree of skill that is 
within reach of most of us, represent the chief 
part of the investment. And yet — these little, 
inexpensive things are the very ones that pro- 
duce the pleasing efF ects we are all striving after 
in our efforts to make home attractive. Most 
of them convey an impression of being made for 
use, not show. They are in a class with the broad- 
seated, wide-armed " old hickory " rockers with 
which we make our modern verandas comfortable 
nowadays, and the hammock swung in shady 
places, wherein one may lie and take his ease, and 
forget everything but the fact that it is some- 

189 




ARBORS AND OTHER 



times a pleasant thing to be lazy — frankly, un- 
blushingly lazy. It is a healthy indication in 
our American life when so many persons go in 
for getting all the comfort they can from out- 
doors in summer. Every home whose grounds 
are large enough to accommodate them ought to 
have benches here and there, made for comfort, 
rather than looks, garden-seats, summer-houses 
—all suggestive of rest and relaxation. In this 
chapter I propose to briefly describe a few such 
home-made features, hoping that the man or boy 
who has the " knack " of using tools to advan- 
tage, actuated by a desire to make home-environ- 
ments pleasant, may be led to copy some of them. 

Let me say, right here, that the work de- 
manded in the construction of rustic features 
about the home is just the kind of work I would 
encourage boys to undertake. It will be found 
so enjoyable that it will seem more like play than 
labor. There is the pleasure of planning it — the 
sense of responsibility and importance which 
comes to the lad who sets out to do something 
" all by himself," and the delightful conscious- 
ness that what is done may result in making 
home more home-like, and add to the comfort 
and pleasure of those whose love and companion- 
ship go to make home the best place on earth. 

190 



GARDEN FEATURES 



In constructing siimmer-fiouses, bridges, and 
other rustic work, there should be a careful plan 
made before the work is begun. Never work 
" by guess." Go at the undertaking precisely 
as the mechanic sets about the construction of a 
house. Draw a diagram of what the structure 
is to be. A rough diagram will answer quite as 
well as any, provided it covers all particulars. 

Figure out just how much material the plan 
calls for. Get this on the ground before anything 
else is done. The material required will be poles 
of difF erent sizes and lengths, large and substan- 
tial nails, a few planks for floors and benches — 
possibly tables — and shingles for covering such 
structures as need roofing in, unless bark is used 
for this purpose. Of course bark gives more of 
a " rustic " look to a roof, but it is not an easy 
matter to obtain a good quality of it, and shingles, 
stained a mossy-green or dark brown, will har- 
monize charmingly with the rest of the building, 
and furnish a much more substantial roof than it 
is possible to secure with even the best kind of 
bark. 

If possible, use cedar poles in preference to 
any other, for several reasons: First of all, they 
are more ornamental, because of their bark, which 
is more permanent than that of any other wood. 

191 



ARBORS AND OTHER 



They are light, and easy to handle, and take a 
nail as readily as pine. And then — their aromatic 
odor makes it a constant delight to work among 
them to those who like sweet, fresh, wild-woody 
smells. But all kinds of poles can be substituted 
for cedar if that is not obtainable. The kind 
of wood used in the construction of rustic work is 
not a matter of prime importance, though it may 
be, and is, largely a matter of taste. But when 
we cannot do as we would like to we must do the 
best we can. 

Provide yourself with a good saw, a hammer, 
a square, and a mitre-box. These will be all the 
tools you will be likely to need. Use spikes to 
fasten the larger timbers together, and smaller 
nails for the braces and ornamental work of the 
design. Speaking of ornamental work reminds 
me to say that the more crooked, gnarled, and 
twisted limbs and branches you can secure, the 
better will be the effect, as a general thing, for 
formality must be avoided as far as possible. 
We are not working according to a plan of 
Nature's but we are using Nature's material, 
and we must use it as it comes from Nature's 
hand in order to make it most effective. 

Take pains in making joints. If everything is 

cut to the proper length and angle, it will fit 

m 



GARDEN FEATURES 



together neatly, and only a neat job will be 
satisfactory. 

Let me advise the reader who concludes to try 
his hand at the constmction of rustic work to 
confine his selection of design to something not 
very elaborate. Leave that for wealthy people 
who can afford to have whatever their taste in- 
clines them to, without regard to cost, and who 
give the work over to the skilled workman. I 
am considering matters from the standpoint of 
the home-maker, who beheves we get more real 
pleasure out of what we make with our own 
hands than from that which we hire some one 
to make for us. 

In one of the illustrations accompanying this 
chapter is shown a combination summer-house 
and arbor that is very easily made, and that will 
cost but little. The picture gives so clear an idea 
of framework and general detail that a descrip- 
tion does not seem necessary. As a considerable 
weight will have to be supported by the roof, 
when vines have been trained over it, it will be 
necessary to use stout poles for uprights, and to 
run substantial braces from them to the cross- 
poles overhead. The built-in seats on each side 
add greatly to the comfort of the structure, and 
invite us to " little halts by the wayside," in which 

13 193 



ARBORS AND OTHER 



to " talk things over," or to quiet hours with a 
book that would lose half its charm if read in- 
doors, as a companion. The original of this pic- 
ture is built over a path that is sometimes used 
as a driveway, and is known as " the outdoor 
parlor " by the family on whose grounds it stands. 
You will find some member of the family there 
on every pleasant day, throughout the entire 
season, for it is fitted out with hammocks and 
swinging seats, and a table large enough to serve 
as tea-table, on occasion, with a cover that lifts 
and discloses a snug box inside in which books 
and magazines can be left without fear of injury 
in case of shower or damp weather. Tea served 
in such surroundings takes on a flavor that it 
never has indoors. The general design of this 
summer-house, as will readily be seen by the illus- 
tration, is simplicity itself, and can very easily 
be copied by the amateur workman. 

It often happens that there are ravines or 
small depressions on the home-grounds over 
which a rustic bridge could be thrown with pleas- 
ing effect, from the ornamental standpoint, and 
prove a great convenience from the standpoint of 
practicality. If there is a brook there, all the 
better, but few of us, however, are fortunate 
enough to be owners of grounds possessing so 

194 



GARDEN FEATURES 



charming a feature, and our bridges must be 
more ornamental in themselves than would be 
necessary if there was water to add its attraction 
to the spot. 

One of the most delightful summer-houses I 
have ever seen was largely the result of an 
accident. An old tree standing near a path 
was broken down in a storm, some years 
ago, and a portion of its trunk was made 
use of as a support for one side of the roof. On 
the opposite side, rustic arches were used. The 
roof was shingled, and stained a dark green, thus 
bringing it into color-harmony with its surround- 
ings. Over the roof a Wistaria was trained, and 
this has grown to such size that but few of the 
shingles are to be seen through its branches. 
About this spot the home-life of the family 
centres from April to late October. " We would 
miss it more than any part of the dwelling," its 
owner and builder said to me, when I asked per- 
mission to photograph it. I could readily under- 
stand the regard of the family for so beautiful 
a place, which, I have no doubt, cost less than 
one of the great flower-beds that we see on the 
grounds of wealthy people, and see without ad- 
miring, so formal and artificial are they, and so 
suggestive of professional work duplicated in 



ARBORS AND OTHER 



other gardens until the very monotony of them 
becomes an offence to the eye of the man or 
woman who believes in individuality and 
originality. 

Rustic fences between lots are great improve- 
ments on the ordinary boundary fence, especially 
if vines are trained over them. They need not be 
elaborate in design to be attractive. If made of 
poles from which the bark has been taken, they 
should be stained a dark green or brown to bring 
them into harmony with their surroundings. 

Screen-frames of rustic work, as a support for 
vines, to hide unsightly outbuildings, are far pref- 
erable to the usual one of wood with wire netting 
stretched over it. They will cost no more than 
one of lattice, and will be vastly more pleasing, 
in every respect. 

Gateways can be made exceedingly pleasing 
by setting posts at each side of the gate, and 
fashioning an arch to connect them, at the top. 
Train a vine, like Ampelopsis, over the upper 
part of the framework, and you make even the 
simplest gateway attractive. 

A garden-seat, with a canopy of vines to shade 
it, may not be any more comfortable, as a seat, 
than any wooden bench, but the touch of beauty 
and grace imparted by the vine that roofs it 



GARDEN FEATURES 



makes it far more enjoyable than an expensive 
seat without the vine would be to the person who 
has a taste for pleasing and attractive things, 
simply because it pleases the eye by its outlines, 
thus appealing to the sense of the beautiful. 
Beauty is cheap, when looked at from the right 
standpoint, which is never one of dollars and 
cents. It is just these little things about a place 
that do so much to make it home-like, as you will 
readily see if, when you find a place that pleases 
you, you take the trouble to analyze the secret 
of its attractiveness. 

The pergola has not been much in evidence 
among us until of late. A rapidly increasing 
taste for the attractive features of old-world, out- 
door life in sunny countries where much of the 
time is spent outside the dwelling, and the intro- 
duction of the " Italian garden " idea, have given 
it a popularity in America that makes it a rival 
of the arbor or summer-house, and bids fair to 
make it a thing of permanence among us. 

The question is frequently asked by those who 
have read about pergolas, but have never seen 
one, as to wherein they differ from the ordinary 
arbor. The difference is more in location, ma- 
terial, and manner of construction than anything 
else. They are generally built of timber that can 

197 



ARBORS AND OTHER 



be given a coating of paint, with more or less 
ornamental pillars or supports and rafters, and 
are constructed along definite architectural lines. 
They are, in fact, ornamental structures over 
which vines are to be trained loosely with a view 
to tempering the sunshine rather than excluding 
it. The framework of the arbor, as a general 
thing, is considered secondary to the effect pro- 
duced by it when the vines we plant about it are 
developed. But, unlike the Americanized per- 
gola, the arbor is almost always located in a re- 
tired or inconspicuous part of the home-grounds, 
and is seldom found connected with the dwelling. 
To get the benefit of the arbor, or the summer- 
house we evolve from it, we must go to it, while 
the pergola, as adapted by most of us, brings 
the attractive features of out-door life to the 
house, thus combining out- and in-door life more 
intimately than heretofore. One of the illustra- 
tions accompanying this chapter shows a very 
simple pergola framework — one that can be built 
cheaply, and by any man or boy who is at all 
" handy with tools," and can be used as a plan 
to work from by anyone who desires to attach a 
modification of the pergola proper to the dwell- 
ing, for the purpose of furnishing shade to por- 
tions of it not provided with verandas. It will 

198 



GARDEN FEATURES 



require the exercise of but little imagination to 
enable one to see what a charming feature of the 
home such a structure will be when vines have 
been trained over it. There are many homes 
that would be wonderfully improved by the addi- 
tion of something of this kind, with very little 
trouble and expense. It is to be hoped that many 
a housewife can prevail on the " men-folks " to 
interest themselves on pergola-building on a 
small scale, as indicated in the illustration, for 
practical as well as ornamental reasons. Any- 
thing that will take the occupants of the dwelling 
out of doors is to be encouraged. Especially 
would the women of the household enjoy a vine- 
shaded addition of this kind, during the intervals 
of leisure that come during the day, and the head 
of the family would find it an ideal place in 
which to smoke his evening pipe. In several re- 
spects it can be made much more satisfactory 
than a veranda. It can be made larger — roomier, 
and there will be more of an out-door atmosphere 
about it because of its airiness, and the play of 
light and shade through the vines that clamber 
overhead. Pergolas of elaborate design need not 
be described here, as they properly belong to 
homes not made attractive by the individual 
efforts of the home owner. They are better 

199 



ARBORS AND OTHER 



adapted to the grounds of wealthy people, who 
are not obliged to consider expense, and who are 
not actively interested in the development of the 
home by themselves. 

What vines would I advise for use about 
arbors, summer-houses, and pergolas? 

The Wild Grape, though not much used, is one 
of our best native vines. It has the merit of rapid 
growth, entire hardiness, luxuriant foliage and 
delightful habit, and when in bloom it has a fra- 
grance that is as exquisite as it is indescribable — 
one of those vague, elusive, and yet powerful 
odors so characteristic of spring flowers. You 
will smell it — ^the air will be full of it — and yet 
it will puzzle you to locate it. The wind will 
blow from you and it will be gone. Then a 
breeze will blow your way, and the air will sud- 
denly be overpoweringly sweet with the scent 
shaken free from blossoms so small as to be 
hardly noticeable unless one makes a careful 
search for them. Then, too, the fruit is not only 
attractive to the eye in fall, but pleasant to the 
taste of those who delight in the flavor of wild 
things, among whom we must class the robins, 
who will linger about the vine until the last berry 
is gone. 

Another most excellent vine for covering these 

200 



gaedener's tool-house 



GARDEN FEATURES 



structures is our native Ampelopsis, better 
known as American Ivy, or Virginia Creeper. 
This vine is of exceedingly rapid growth, and will 
accomplish more in one season than most other 
vines do in two or three years. Its foliage is 
beautiful at all times, but especially so in late 
autumn when it takes on a brilliance that makes 
it a rival of the flower. In fact, every leaf of it 
seems all at once to become a flower, glowing 
with scarlet and maroon of varying shades, with 
here and there a touch of bronze to afl*ord con- 
trast and heighten the intensity of the other 
colors. This vine is perhaps the best of all vines 
for use on rustic structures, because it takes hold 
of rough poles and posts with stout little tendrils 
or sucker-like discs which ask for no assistance 
from us in the way of support. 

Another most charming vine is Clematis 
paniculata. This is a variety of the Clematis 
family of comparatively recent introduction, 
quite unlike the large-flowering class. It has 
white flowers, small individually, but produced 
in such enormous quantities that the upper por- 
tions of the vine seem to be covered with foam, or 
a light fall of snow. They will entirely hide 
the foliage with their dainty, airy grace, and you 
will declare, when you first see the plant in full 

m 



ARBORS AND OTHER 



bloom, that it is the most beautiful thing you ever 
saw in the way of a vine. And not the least of its 
merits is its habit of flowering at a time when 
most vines have passed into the sere-and-yellow- 
leaf period. September and October see it in its 
prime. Its foliage, of dark, rich, glossy green, 
furnishes a most pleasing background against 
which its countless panicles of white bloom stand 
out with most striking and delightful effect. I 
have no knowledge of a more floriferous vine, 
and I know of no more beautiful one. As a 
covering for the pergola attached to the house it 
is unrivalled. 

In the southern belt of our northern states, 
where the Wistaria is hardy enough to withstand 
the winter, no more satisfactory flowering vine 
can be chosen for a pergola covering. Its habit 
of growth and flowering seems perfectly in har- 
mony with the primary idea of the pergola. It 
will furnish all the shade that is needed without 
shutting out the sunshine entirely, and its pen- 
dant clusters of lavender-blue flowers are never 
more pleasing than when seen hanging between 
the cross-bars of the pergola. 

If the person who builds a summer-house or 
a pergola is impatient for results it will be well 
to make use of annual vines for covering it the 



GARDEN FEATURES 



first season, though something of a more per- 
manent nature should always be planned for. 
One of our best annuals, so far as rapidity of 
growth is concerned, is the Wild Cucumber, of 
which mention was made in the preceding chap- 
ter. Because of its rapid development, the use- 
fulness of the plant for immediate effects will be 
readily understood. But it is valuable only as a 
substitute for something more substantial and 
should not be depended on after the first season. 
It lacks the dignity and strength of a permanent 
vine. 

The Morning Glory will be found very 
effective for a first-season covering. This vine 
is prodigal in its production of flowers. Every 
sunny day, throughout the season, it will be cov- 
ered with blossoms, so many in number that they 
make a veritable " glory " of the forenoon hours. 

Another excellent annual is the Japan Hop. 
This will perhaps afford better satisfaction than 
the Wild Cucumber or the Morning Glory, be- 
cause its foliage bears some resemblance to that 
of the hardy vines of which I have spoken. In 
other words, it has more substance and dignity, 
and therefore seems more in harmony with the 
structure over which it is trained. Its leaves have 
a variegation of creamy white on a dark green 

203 



ARBORS, ETC. 



ground. This makes it as ornamental as if it 
were a flowering plant. 

Every home ought to have its " playhouse " 
for children. If fitted with screens to keep out 
mosquitoes, the younger members of the family, 
especially the girls, will literally " live in it " for 
six months of the year. I would suggest fitting 
it with canvas curtains to shut out wind and rain. 
I would also advise making it of good size, for the 
children will take delight in entertaining visitors 
in it, and a tiny structure is not convenient for 
the entertainment of " company." Such a build- 
ing can be made as ornamental as any arbor or 
pergola at slight cost, when vines are used to hide 
the shortcomings of its material and construction. 
Be sure it will be appreciated by the little folks, 
and quite likely some of the " children of a larger 
growth" will dispute its occupancy with them, 
at times, if there is no other building of its kind 
about the place. 



CARPET-BEDDING 



ARPET-BEDDING is not 
the most artistic phase of gar- 
dening, by any means, but it 
has a great attraction for 
many persons who admire 
masses of harmonious and 
contrasting colors more than 
the individual beauty of a flower. Therefore a 
chapter on this subject will no doubt be gladly 
welcomed by those who have seen the striking 
effects secured by the use of plants having orna- 
mental or richly colored foliage, in our large 
public parks, and on the grounds of the wealthy. 

Let me say, just here, that the person who 
attempts what, for want of a better name, might 
be called pictorial gardening, is wise if he selects 
a rather simple pattern, especially at the outset 
of his career in this phase of garden-work. Intri- 
cate and elaborate designs call for more skill in 
their successful working out than the amateur is 
likely to be master of, and they demand a larger 
amount of time and labor than the average ama- 
teur florist will be likely to expend upon them. 




CARPET-BEDDING 



And the fact should never be lost sight of that 
failure to give all the care needed brings about 
most discouraging results. This being the case, 
select a design in which the effect aimed at can 
be secured by broad masses of color, depending 
almost wholly on color-contrast for pleasing re- 
sults. Bear in mind that this " school " of pic- 
torial art belongs to the " impressionistic " rather 
than the pre-Raphaelite," about which we hear 
so much nowadays, and leave the fine work to the 
professional gardener, or wait until you feel quite 
sure of your ability to attempt it with a reason- 
ably good show of success. 

Some persons are under the impression that 
flowering plants can be used to good effect in 
carpet-bedding. This is not the case, however. 
In order to bring out a pattern or design fully 
and clearly, it is absolutely necessary that we 
make use of plants which are capable of giving a 
solid color-effect. This we obtain from foliage, 
but very few flowering plants are prolific enough 
of bloom to give the desired result. The effect 
will be thin and spotty, so never depend on them. 
Quite often they can be used in combination with 
plants having ornamental foliage in such a man- 
ner as to secure pleasing results, but they always 

play a secondary part in this phase of gardening. 

m 



CARPET -BEDDING 



The best plants to use in carpet-bedding are 
the following: 

Coleus, in various shades of red, maroon, and 
scarlet, light and dark yellow, green and white, 
and varieties in which colors and shades of color 
are picturesquely blended. 

Achyranthes, low-growing plants in mixtures 
of red, pink, yellow and green. 

Alternatheras, similar to Achyranthes in habit, 
but with red as a predominating color. Both are 
excellent for working out the finer details of a 
design. 

Pyrethrum — " Golden Feather " — ^with feath- 
ery foliage of a tawny yellow. 

Centaurea gymnocarpay — " Dusty Miller," — 
with finely-cut foliage of a cool gray. 

Geranium Madame Salleroi — ^with pale green 
and white foliage. This is a most excellent plant 
for use in carpet-bedding because of its close, 
compact habit of growth, and its very symmetri- 
cal shape which is retained throughout the entire 
season without shearing or pruning. 

It must be borne in mind by the amateur florist 
that success in carpet-bedding depends nearly as 
much on the care given as on the material used. 
In order to bring out a design sharply, it is neces- 
sary to go over the bed at least twice a week and 

207 



CARPET- BEDDING 



cut away all branches that show a tendency to 
straggle across the boundary line of the various 
colors. Run your pruning shears along this line 
and ruthlessly cut away everything that is not 
where it belongs. If this is not done, your " pat- 
tern " will soon become blurred and indistinct. 
If any intermingling of colors " from across the 
line " is allowed, all sharpness of outline will be 
destroyed. 

The plants must be clipped frequently to keep 
them dwarf and compact. Make it a point to 
keep the larger-growing kinds, such as Coleus, 
Pyrethrum and Centaurea, under six inches in 
height rather than over it. Alternatheras and 
Achyranthes will need very little shearing, as to 
top, because of their habit of low growth. 

In setting these plants in the bed, be governed 
by the habit of each plant. Achyranthes and 
Alternatheras, being the smallest, should be put 
about four inches apart. Give the Coleus about 
six inches of lee- way, also the Centaurea. Allow 
eight inches for Madame Sailer oi Geranium and 
Pyrethrum. These will soon meet in the row and 
form a solid line or mass of foliage. 

So many persons have asked for designs for 
carpet-bedding, that I will accompany this chap- 
ter with several original with myself which have 

«08 



1 



CARPET-EEDDING 



proved very satisfactory. Some of them may 
seem rather complicated, but when one gets down 
to the business of laying them out, the seeming 
complications will vanish. 

In laying out all but the star-shaped and cir- 
cular beds, it is well to depend upon a square as 
the basis to work from. Decide on the size of 
bed you propose to have, and then stake out a 




No. 1. 

square as shown by the dotted lines in design 
No. 1, and work inside this square in filling in 
the details. If this is done, the work will not be 
a difficult one. 

Design No. 1 will be found easy to make and 
admits of many pleasing combinations and modi- 
fications. Each gardener who sees fit to adopt 
any of these designs should study out a color- 
scheme of his own. Knowing the colors of the 

14 209 



CARPET-BEDDING 



material he has to work with it will not be diffi- 
cult to arrange these colors to suit individual 
taste. I think this will be more satisfactory than 
to give any arbitrary arrangement of colors, for 
half the pleasure of gardening consists in orig- 
inating things of this kind, rather than copying 
what some one else has originated, or of following 




No. 2. 



instructions given by others. This does not apply 
so much to designs for beds as it does to the 
colors we make use of in them. 

In the designs accompanying this chapter it 
will be seen that simple plans are made capable 
of producing more elaborate effects by making 
use of the dotted lines. Indeed, one can make > 
these designs quite intricate by dividing the dif- 

210 



CARPET-BEDDING 



ferent spaces as outlined in No. 2. A plain 
centre with a plain point, as shown in a, shows 
the bed in its very simplest form. In g, c, and d, 
we see these points with three different arrange- 
ments suggested, and the dotted line in the cen- 




No. 3. 



tral portion indicates a change that can be made 
there that will add considerably to the effective- 
ness of the design. A little study of other de- 
signs will, I think, make them so plain that they 
can be worked out with but little trouble. 

I would suggest that before deciding on any 

211 



CARPET-BEDDING 



color-combinations, a rough diagram be made of 
whatever bed you select and that this be colored 
to correspond with the material you have to work 
with. Seeing these colors side by side on paper 
will give you a better idea of the general effect 
that will result from any of your proposed com- 




No.4. 



binations than you can get in any other way, and 
to test them in this manner may prevent you 
from making some serious mistakes. 

It will be necessary to go over the beds every 
day or two and remove all dead or dying leaves. 
Neatness is an item of the greatest importance in 
this phase of gardening, or any other, for that 
matter. 

m 



CARPET- BEDDING 



Large plants can be used in the centre of any 
of these designs, if one cares to do so, with very 
good effect. For this purpose we have few 
plants that will give greater satisfaction than the 
Dahlia. Scarlet Salvia would be very effective if 
yellow Coleus were used about it, but it would 
not please if surrounded with red Coleus, as the 




No. 5. 



red of the plant and the red of the flower would 
not harmonize. A Canna of rich, dark green 
would make a fine centre plant for a bed in which 
red Coleus served as a background. One of the 
dark copper-colored varieties would show to fine 
effect if surrounded with either yellow Pyreth- 
rum or gray Centaurea. 

21S 



CARPET-BEDDING 



Ageratum, with its delicate lavender-blue 
flowers, can be made extremely attractive in 
combination with yellow Coleus. A pink Gera- 




nium surrounded with gray Centaurea would be 
delightful in the harmony that would result from 
a combination of these colors. 




No. 7. No. 8. 



Nos. 7 and 8 illustrate the simplest possible 
form of bed. No. 7 is designed for plants to be 
set in rows. In a bed of this kind flowering 

S14 



CARPET-BEDDING 



plants can be used more effectively than in any 
of the others. Pink, white, and pale yellow Phlox 
would be very pretty in such a combination. No. 
8 would be quite effective if each of the five sec- 
tions were of a different color of Coleus. Or the 
whole star might be of a solid color, with a bor- 
der of contrasting color. Red Coleus with 
Madame Salleroi Geranium as a border would 
look well. So would yellow Coleus edged with 
Centaurea. 



FLOWERING AND FOLIAGE 
PLANTS FOR EDGING BEDS 
AND WALKS 



E do not lay as much stress 
on edging beds and walks 
with flowering plants as 
formerly, but the practice 
is a most pleasing one, and 
ought not to be neglected. 
It is one of the phases of 
gardening that has been allowed to fall into dis- 
use, to a considerable extent, but there are al- 
ready signs that show it is coming back to its old 
popularity, along with the old-fashioned flowers 
that are now more in favor than ever before. 
This is as it should be. 

A bed without a pretty border or edging 
always seems incomplete to me. It is as if the 
owner of it ran short of material before it was 
finished. The bit of lace or ribbon that is to add 
the last touch of grace and beauty to the gown 
is lacking. 

Especially is a border of flowering plants 
satisfactory if kinds are selected which bloom 

ne 




PLANTS FOR EDGING 



throughout the greater part of the season. The 
plants we make use of in the centre of the bed 
are not always attractive before they come into 
bloom, neither are they that after they have 
passed their prime, but a pretty edging of flowers 
draws attention from their shortcomings, and 
alw^ays pleases. 

One of our best flowering plants for edging 
purposes is Candytuft. It comes into bloom 
early in the season, and blooms in great profusion 
until the coming of frost. Keep it from develop- 
ing seed and it will literally cover itself with 
bloom. I would advise going over it twice a week 
and clipping off every cluster of faded blossoms. 
This answers two purposes — that of preventing 
the formation of seed, and of removing what 
would be a disfigurement to the plant if it were 
allowed to remain. 

There are two varieties of Candytuft in culti- 
vation — one white, the other a dull red. The 
white variety is the one most persons will select, 
as it harmonizes with all other plants. But the 
red sort is very pleasing when used with har- 
monious colors. I last year saw a bed of Nastur- 
tium bordered with it, and the effect was de- 
lightful. Its dull color blended well wdth the 
richer, stronger tones of the Nasturtium flowers, 

217 



PLANTS FOR EDGING 



and gave them an emphasis that was suggestive 
of the effect of dull, rich colors used in old rugs 
in heightening and bringing out, by contrast, the 
brighter colors. 

In using Candytuft for edging, set the plants 
about a foot apart. I would advise two rows of 
them, placing the plants in such a manner that 
they alternate in the rows. Do not attempt to 
train them. Let them do that for themselves. 
One of their most attractive features is their lack 
of formality when allowed to grow to suit them- 
selves. Very pleasing results are secured by 
using the white and red varieties together, the 
colors alternating. If the centre of the bed is 
filled with " Golden Feather " P^T'ethrum and 
these two Cand}i;ufts are used as an edging, the 
effect will be very fine as the dull red admirably 
supplements the greenish-yellow color of the 
Pyrethrum, while the white relieves what, with- 
out it, would be too sombre a color-scheme. 

Sweet Alyssum is excellent for edging pur- 
poses. Its general effect is quite similar to that 
of the white Cand}i:uft, but it has greater deli- 
cacy of both bloom and foliage, and the addi- 
tional merit of a delightful fragrance. 

Ageratum is lovely for edging beds of pink 
Geraniums, its soft lavender tones being in per- 
fect harmony with their color. It is equally satis- 



BEDS AND WALKS 



factory when used with pale rose Phlox Drum- 
mondi, or the soft yellow shades of that flower. 
Combine the three colors in a bed and you will 
have something unusually dainty and delightful. 
One of the prettiest beds I saw last summer was 
filled with Sweet Alyssum, and edged with 
Ageratum. If there was any unfavorable criti- 
cism to be made, it was that a touch of some 
brighter, stronger color was needed to relieve its 
white and lavender. A free-flowering rose-col- 
ored Geranium in its centre, or a pink Verbena, 
would have added much to the general effect, I 
fancy. As it was, it was suggestive of old blue- 
and-white Delft, and the collector of that ware 
would have gone into raptures over it. 

For a permanent edging, for beds, paths, and 
the border, Bellis perenniSj whose popular name 
is English Daisy, is one of the best of all plants. 
It is entirely hardy. It blooms early in the 
season. It is wonderfully generous in its pro- 
duction of flowers. These are small, and very 
double, some pink, some almost white, produced 
on short stems which keep them close to the 
ground and prevent them from straggling. Its 
thick, bright green foliage furnishes a charming 
background against which the blossoms display 
themselves effectively. It is a plant that does 
well everywhere, and Is always on good terms 

219 



PLANTS FOR EDGING 



with everything else in the garden, as will be 
seen by the illustration that shows it in full bloom, 
along with Pansies and Hyacinths. Because of 
its compact, non-straggling habit it is especially 
useful for bordering paths and the border, per- 
mitting the use of the lawn-mower or the rake 
with perfect freedom. Plants should be set about 
eight inches apart. If you have but few plants 
of it and desire more, pull the old plants apart 
in spring and make a new one out of each bit 
that comes away with a piece of root attached. 
By fall the young plants will have grown to- 
gether and formed a solid mass of foliage, with a 
great many " crowns " from which flowers will 
be produced the following season. Florists can 
generally furnish seedling plants in spring, from 
which immediate effects can be secured by close 
planting. 

One of the best — ^if not the best — plants for 
all-around use in edging is Madame Salleroi 
Geranium. It is quite unlike any other Gera- 
nium of which I have any knowledge, in general 
habit. It forms a bushy, compact plant, and 
bears a solid mass of foliage. No attention what- 
ever is required in the way of pruning. The plant 
trains itself. The ordinary flowering Geranium 
must be pinched back, and pruned constantly to 
prevent it from becoming " leggy," but there is 

220 



BEDS AND WALKS 



no trouble of this kind with Madame Salleroi. 
Its branches, of which there will often be fifty or 
more from a plant, are all sent up from the crown 
of the plant, and seldom grow to be more than 
five or six inches in length. Each branch may 
have a score of leaves, borne on stems about four 
inches long. These leaves are smaller than those 
of any other Geranium. Their ground color is 
a pale green, and every leaf is bordered with 
creamy white. This combination of color makes 
the plant as attractive as a flowering one. It is 
a favorite plant for house-culture in winter, and 
those who have a specimen that has been carried 
over can pull it apart in May and plant each bit 
of cutting in the ground where it is to grow dur- 
ing summer, feeling sure that not one slip out of 
twenty will fail to grow if its base is inserted 
about an inch deep in soil which should be pinched 
firmly about it to hold it in place while roots are 
forming. Set the cuttings about ten inches apart. 
By midsummer the young plants will touch each 
other, and from that time on to the coming of 
frost your border will be a thing of beauty, and 
one of the delightful things about it will be — ^it 
will require no attention whatever from you. 
Never a branch will have to be shortened to keep 
it within bounds. No support will be needed. 

The plants will take care of themselves. I have 

m 



PLANTS FOR EDGING 



never had a plant that is easier to grow. It har- 
monizes with everything. Seen against the green 
of the lawn it is charming. All things considered, 
it is an ideal plant for edging. In combination 
with scarlet and yellow Coleus it is exceedingly 
effective, because of its strong color-contrast. 

Most amateur gardeners are familiar with the 
various merits of Coleus, Alternatheras, Achy- 
ranthes, " Golden Feather " Pyrethrum, and 
Centaurea maritima, better known as " Dusty 
Miller " because of its gray foliage. These are 
all good, when properly cared for, when used for 
edging beds and borders. Especially so when 
used with Cannas, Caladiums, and other plants 
of striking foliage, where their rich colors take 
the place of flowers. 

Phlox decussata, commonly known as " Moss 
Pink " because of its fine foliage and bright pink 
flowers, is a most excellent plant for the hardy 
border, because it stands our winters quite as 
well as the hardiest perennials. Early in spring 
it will cover itself with charming blossoms that 
are as cheerful to look at as the song of the robin 
or the blue bird is to hear. It is a lovable little 
thing, and has but one rival among early-flower- 
ing plants for edging, and that rival is the 
English Daisy. 



PLANNING THE GARDEN 



HE flower garden not being 
one of the necessities of 
life, in the usual sense of 
the term, people are likely 
to consider the making of it 
of so little importance that 
it is hardly worth while to 
give the matter much consideration. Conse- 
quently they simply dig up a bed here and there, 
sow whatever seed they happen to have, and call 
the thing done. 

A haphazard garden of that sort is never satis- 
factory. In order to make even the smallest 
garden what it ought to be it should be carefully 
planned, and every detail of it well thought out 
before the opening of the season. 

To insure thoroughness in this part of the 
work I would advise the garden-maker to make 
a diagram of it as he thinks he would like to 
have it. Sketch it out, no matter how roughly. 
When you have a map of it on paper you will 
be able to get a much clearer idea of it than you 
can obtain from any merely mental plan. 

22S 




PLANNING 



After locating your beds, decide what kind of 
flower you will have in each one. But before 
you locate your plants study your catalogue 
carefully, and make yourself familiar with the 
heights and habits of them. Quite likely this will 
lead to a revision of your mental diagram, for 
you may find that you have proposed to put low- 
growing kinds in the rear of tall-growing sorts, 
and tall-growing kinds where they would seri- 
ously interfere with the general effect. 

Bear in mind that there is always a proper 
place for each plant you make use of — if you can 
find it. The making of a working diagram and 
the study of the leading characteristics of the 
plants you propose to use will help you to avoid 
mistakes that might seriously interfere with the 
effectiveness of your garden. 

Do not attempt more than you are sure of your 
ability to carry through well. Many persons 
allow the enthusiasm of the spring season to get 
the better of their judgment, and lead them into 
undertaking to do so much that after a little the 
magnitude of the work discourages them, and, 
as a natural result, the garden suffers seriously, 
and often proves a sad failure. Bear in mind 
that a few really good plants will give a hundred- 
fold more pleasure than a great many mediocre 

224 



THE garde:^? 



ones. Therefore concentrate your work, and aim 
at quality rather than quantity. Never set out 
to have so large a garden that the amount of 
labor you have to expend on it will be likely to 
pr'^ve a burden rather than a pleasurable recrea- 
tioii. 

Do not attempt anything elaborate in a small 
garden. Leave fancy beds and striking designs 
to those who have a sufficient amount of room 
at their disposal to make them eff ective. 

I would advise keeping each kind of plant by 
itself, as far as possible. Beds in which all colors 
are mixed promiscuously are seldom pleasing be- 
cause there are sure to be colors there that are 
out of harmony with others, and without color- 
harmony a garden of most expensive plants must 
prove a failure to the person of good taste. 

I would not, therefore, advise the purchase of 
" mixed " seed, in which most persons invest, 
because it is cheaper than that in which.each color 
is by itself. This may cost more, but it is well 
worth the additional expense. Take Phlox 
Drummondi as an illustration of the idea gov- 
erning this advice: If mixed seed is used, you 
will have red, pink, mauve, scarlet, crimson, 
violet, and lilac in the same bed, — a jumble of 
colors which can never be made to harmonize 
15 m 



PLANNING 



and the effect of which will be very unpleasant. 
On the other hand, by planning your bed in ad- 
vance of making it, with color-harmony in mind, 
you can so select and arrange your colors that 
they will not only harmonize, but afford a con- 
trast that will heighten the general effect greatly. 
For instance, you can use rose-color, white and 
pale yellow varieties together, or scarlet and 
white, or carmine and pale yellow, and these com- 
binations will be in excellent harmony, and give 
entire satisfaction. The mauves, lilacs, and 
violets, to be satisfactory, should only be used in 
combination with white varieties. I am speaking 
of the Phlox, but the rule which applies to this 
plant applies with equal force to all plants in 
which similar colors are to be found. 

If there are unsightly places anywhere about 
the grounds aim to hide them under a growth 
of pretty vines. An old fence can be made into 
a thing of beauty when covered with Morning 
Glories or Nasturtiums. By the use of a trellis 
covered with Sweet Peas, or a hedge of Zinnia, 
or of Cosmos, we can shut off the view of objec- 
tionable features which may exist in connection 
with the garden. Outhouses can be completely 
hidden in midsummer by planting groups of Ri- 
cinus about them, and filling in with Hollyhocks, 
and Delphinium, and Golden Glow, and other 

226 



THE GARDEN 



tall-growing plants. In planning your garden, 
study how to bring about these desirable results. 

Keep in mind the fact that if you go about 
garden-making in a haphazard way, and happen 
to get plants where they do not belong, as you are 
quite likely to do unless you know them well, 
you have made a mistake which cannot be recti- 
fied until another season. This being the case, 
guard against such mistakes by making sure 
that you know just what plant to use to produce 
the efF ect you have in mind. 

Plan to have a selection of plants that will give 
flowers throughout the entire season. The ma- 
jority of annuals bloom most profusely in June 
and July, but the prevention of seed-develop- 
ment will force them into bloom during the later 
months. 

Plan to have a few plants in reserve, to take 
the places of those which may fail. Something 
is liable to happen to a plant, at any time, and 
unless you have material at hand with which to 
make good the loss, there will be a bare spot in 
your beds that will be an eye-sore all the rest 
of the season. 

Plan to have the lowest growers near the path, 
or under the sitting-room windows whei'e you 
can look down upon them. 

Plan to have a back-yard garden in which to 
mi 



PLANNING THE GARDEN 



give the plants not needed in the main garden 
a place. There will always be seedlings to thin 
out, and these ought not to be thrown away. If 
planted in some out-of-the-way place they will 
furnish you with plenty of material for cutting, 
and this will leave the plants in the main garden 
undisturbed. 



THE BACK- YARD GARDEN 



GREAT deal is written 
about the flower-garden 
that fronts the street, or is 
so located that it will attract 
the passer-by, but it is sel- 
dom that we see any men- 
tion made of the garden in 
the back-yard. One would naturally get the idea 
that the only garden worth having is the one that 
will attract the attention of the stranger, or the 
casual visitor. 

I believe in a flower-garden that will give more 
pleasure to the home and its inmates than to any- 
one else, and where can such a garden be located 
with better promise of pleasurable results than 
by the kitchen door, where the busy housewife 
can blend the brightness of it with her daily work, 
and breathe in the sweetness of it while about 
her indoor tasks? It doesn't matter if its exist- 
ence is unknown to the stranger within the gates, 
or that the passer-by does not get a glimpse of it. 
It works out its mission and ministry of cheer 
and brightness and beauty in a way that makes 

229 




THE BACK-YARD GARDEN 



it the one garden most worth having. Ask the 
busy woman who catches fleeting glimpses of the 
beauty in it as she goes about her work, and she 
will tell you that it is an inspiration to her, and 
that the sight of it rests her when most weary, 
and that its nearness makes it a companion that 
seems to enter into all her moods. 

Last year I came across such a garden, and it 
pleased me so much that I have often looked back 
to it with a delightful memory of its homeliness, 
its utter lack of formality, and wished that it 
were possible for me to let others see it as I saw 
it, for, were they to do so, I feel quite sure every 
home would have one like it. 

" I never take any pains with it," the woman 
of the home said to me, half apologetically. " That 
is, I don't try to make it like other folks' gardens. 
I don't believe I'd enjoy it so much if I were to. 
You see, it hasn't anything of the company air 
about it. It's more like the neighbor that ' just 
drops in' to sit a little while, and chat about 
neighborhood happenings that we don't dare to 
speak about when some one comes to make a 
formal call. I love flowers so much that it 
seemed as if I must have a few where I could 
see them, while I was busy in the kitchen. You 
know, a woman who does her own housework 

230 



THE BACK-YARD GARDEN 



can't stop every time she'd like to to run out to 
the front-yard garden. So I began to plant 
hardy things here, and I've kept on ever since, 
till I've quite a collection, as you see. Just odds 
and ends of the plants that seem most like folks, 
you know. It doesn't amount to much as a gar- 
den, I suppose most folks would think, but you've 
no idea of the pleasure I get out of it. Some- 
times when I get all fagged out over housework 
I go out and pull weeds in it, and hoe a little, 
and train up the vines, and the first I know I'm 
ready to go back to work, with the tired feeling 
all gone. And do you know — ^the plants seem to 
enjoy it as much as I do? They seem to grow 
better here than I could ever coax them to do 
in the front yard. But that's probably because 
they get the slops from the kitchen, and the soap- 
suds, every wash-day. It doesn't seem as if I 
worked among them at all. It's just play. The 
fresh air of outdoors does me more good, I'm 
sure, than all the doctors' tonics. And I'm not 
the only one in the family that enjoys them. 
The children take a good deal of pride in 
'mother's garden,' and my husband took time, 
one day, in the busiest part of the season, to 
put up that frame by the door, to train Morning 
Glories over." 

281 



THE BACK-YARD GARDEN 



In this ideal home-garden were old-fashioned 
Madonna Lilies, such as I had not seen for years, 
and Bouncing Bets, ragged and saucy as ever, 
and Southernwood, that gave off spicy odors 
every time one touched it, and Aquilegias in blue 
and white and red. Life Everlasting, and Moss 
Pink, and that most delicious of all old-fashioned 
garden flowers, the Spice Pink, with its fringed 
petals marked with maroon, as if some wayside 
artist had touched each one with a brush dipped 
in that color for the simple mischief of the thing, 
and Hollyhocks, Rockets — almost all the old 
" stand-bys." There was not one " new " flower 
there. If it had been, it would have seemed out 
of place. The Morning Glories were just get- 
ting well under way, and were only half-way up 
the door-frame, but I could see, with my mind's 
eye, what a beautiful awning they would make 
a little later. I could imagine them peering into 
the kitchen, like saucy, fun-loving children, and 
laughing good-morning to the woman who 
" loved flowers so well she couldn't get along 
without a few." 

You see, she was successful with them because 
she loved them. Because of that, the labor she 
bestowed upon them was play, not work. They 
were friends of hers, and friendship never be- 

232 



THE BACK-YARD GARDEN 



grudges an}i;hing that gives proof of its exist- 
ence in a practical way. And the flowers, grate- 
ful for the friendship which manifested itself in 
so many helpful ways, repaid her generously in 
beauty and brightness and cheer by making 
themselves a part of her daily life. 
By all means, have a back-yard garden. 



THE WILD GARDEN 

A PLEA FOR OUR NATIVE PLANTS 



ANY persons, I find, are 
under the impression that 
we have few, if any, native 
flowering plants and shrubs 
that are worthy a place 
in the home-garden. They 
have been accustomed to 
consider them as " wild things," and " weeds," 
forgetting or overlooking the fact that all plants 
are wild things and weeds somewhere. So un- 
familiar are they with many of our commonest 
plants that they fail to recognize them when they 
meet them outside their native haunts. Some 
years ago I transplanted a Solidago, — better 
known as a " Golden Rod," — from a fence-cor- 
ner of the pasture, and gave it a place in the 
home-garden. There it grew luxuriantly, and 
soon became a great plant that sent up scores of 
stalks each season as high as a man's head, every 
one of them crowned with a plume of brilliant 
yellow flowers. The effect was simply magnifi- 
cent. 

One day an old neighbor came along, and 

234 




THE WILD GARDEN 



stopped to chat with me as I worked among my 
plants. 

" That's a beauty," he said as he leaned across 
the fence near the Golden Rod. I don't know's 
I ever saw anything like it before. I reckon, 
now, you paid a good deal of money for that 
plant.'' 

"How much do you think it cost me?" I 
asked. 

" Oh, I don't know," he answered, looking at 
the plant admiringly, and then at some of foreign 
origin, near-by. He knew something about the 
value of these, as he had one of them growing in 
his garden. He seemed to be making a mental 
calculation, based on the relative beauty of the 
plants, and presently he said: 

" I ain't much of a judge of such things, but 
I wouldn't wonder if you paid as much as three — 
mebby four — an' like's not five dollars for it." 

" The plant cost me nothing but the labor of 
bringing it from the pasture," I answered. 
" Don't you know what it is? There's any quan- 
tity of it back of your barn, I notice." 

" You don't mean to say that's yaller-weed," 
exclaimed the old gentleman, with a disgusted 
look on his face. " I wouldn't have it in my yard. 
We've got weeds enough 'thout settin' 'em out." 

285 



THE WILD GARDEN 



He went away with a look on his face that made 
me think he felt as if he had been imposed on. 

While it is true, in many instances, that " fa- 
miliarity breeds contempt," it is equally true that 
familiarity without prejudice would open our 
eyes to the fact that beauty exists all about us — 
in lane, and field, and roadside, and forest. We 
are not aware of the prevalence of it until we go 
in search of it. When we go out with " the see- 
ing eye," we find it everywhere. Nothing is so 
plentiful or so cheap as beauty to the lover of 
the beautiful. It may be had for the taking. 
We have fallen into the habit of looking to 
foreign lands for plants with which to beautify 
our gardens, thus neglecting and ignoring the 
beauty at our own doors. A shrub with a long 
name and a good big price attached will win our 
admiration, while a native plant, vastly more 
desirable, will be wholly overlooked. It ought 
not to be so. " Home first, the world afterward " 
is the motto of many patriotic men and women, 
and it ought to be the motto of the lover of the 
beautiful in plant-life when he is seeking for 
something with which to ornament the home- 
grounds. 

Many persons have, however, become greatly 
interested in our native plants, and it is apparent 

^6 



THE WILD GARDEN 



that the interest of the masses in whatever is 
beautiful is steadily increasing. The people are 
being educated to a keener appreciation of 
beauty than ever before. It is encouraging to 
know that a demand has sprung up for shrubs 
and plants of American origin — a demand so 
large, already, that many nurserymen advertise 
collections of native plants, some of them quite 
extensive. Appreciation of true beauty is put- 
ting a value into things which have heretofore had 
no idea of value connected with them. 

The dominant idea I had in mind, when this 
chapter was planned, was that of enlisting the 
boys and girls in the work of making a collection 
of native plants. I would have them make what 
might properly be called a wild garden. But I 
would not confine the undertaking to the boys 
and girls. I would interest the man or woman 
who has a home to make beautiful in the material 
that is to be found on every hand, waiting to be 
utilized. Such a garden can be made of great 
educational value, and, at the same time, quite 
as ornamental as the garden that contains noth- 
ing but foreign plants. It can be made to assist 
in the development of patriotic as well as sesthetic 
ideas. It can be made to stimulate a healthy 
rivalry among the boys and girls, as well as the 

^37 



THE WILD GARDEN 



" children of a larger growth," as to whose col- 
lection shall be most complete. In the care and 
culture of these plants a skill and knowledge may 
be attained that will be of much benefit to them 
in the future, and possibly to the world. Who 
knows? We may have among us a young Lin- 
naeus, or a Humboldt, and the making of a wild 
garden may tend to the discovery and develop- 
ment of a talent which coming years may make 
us proud to do honor to the possessor of. 

I would suggest the formation of a wild- 
garden society in each country village and neigh- 
borhood. Organize expeditions into the sur- 
rounding country in search of shrubs and plants. 
Such excursions can be made as delightful as a 
picnic. Take with you a good-sized basket, to 
contain the plants you gather, and some kind of 
a tool to dig the plants with — and your dinner. 
Lift the plants very carefully, with enough earth 
about them to keep their roots moist. On no 
account should their roots be allowed to get dry. 
If this happens you might as well throw them 
away, at once, as no amount of after-attention 
will undo the damage that is done by neglect to 
carry out this advice. 

The search for plants should begin early in the 
season if they are to be transplanted in spring. 




PORCH BOX 



THE WILD GARDEN 



for it would not be safe to attempt their removal 
after they have begun to make active growth. 
April is a good time to look up your plants, and 
May a good time to bring them home. Later 
on, when you come across a plant that seems a 
desirable addition to your collection, mark the 
place where it grows, and transplant to the home 
grounds in fall, after its leaves have ripened. 

In transplanting shrubs and herbaceous plants, 
study carefully the conditions under which they 
have grown, and aim to make the conditions 
under which they are to grow as similar to the 
original ones as possible. Of course you will be 
able to do this only approximately, in most in- 
stances, but come as near it as you can, for much 
of your success depends on this. You can give 
your plants a soil similar to that in which they 
have been growing, and generally, by a little 
planning, you can arrange for exposure to sun- 
shine, or a shaded location, according to the 
nature of the plants you make use of. Very often 
it is possible to so locate moisture-loving plants 
that they can have the damp soil so many of 
them need, by planting them in low places or 
depressions where water stands for some time 
after a rain, while those which prefer a dry soil 
can be given places on knolls and stony places 

m 



THE WILD GARDEN 



from which water runs off readily. In order to 
do this part of the work well it will be necessary 
to study your plants carefully before removing 
them from their home in the wood or field. Aim 
to make the change as easy as possible for them. 
This can only be done by imitating natural con- 
ditions — in other words, the conditions under 
which they have been growing up to the time 
when you undertake their domestication. 

Not knowing, at the start, the kind of plants 
our collection will contain, as it grows, we can 
have no definite plan to w^ork to. Consequently 
there will be a certain unavoidable lack of system 
in the arrangement of the wild garden. But this 
may possibly be one of the chief charms of it, 
after a little. A garden formed on this plan — 
or lack of plan — will seem to have evolved itself, 
and the utter absence of all formality will make 
it a more cunning imitation of Nature's methods 
than it would ever be if we began it with the 
intention of imitating her. 

Among our early-flowering native plants 
worthy a place in any garden will be found the 
Dogwoods, the Plums, the Crab-apple, and the 
wild Rose. Smaller plants, like the Trillium, 
the Houstonia, the Bloodroot, the Claytonia and 
the Hepatica, will work in charmingly in the 
foreground. Between them can be used many 

m 



THE WILD GARDEN 



varieties of Fern, if the location is shaded some- 
what, as it should be to suit the flowering plants 
I have named. 

Among the summer-flowering sorts we have 
Aquilegia, Daisy, Coreopsis, Cranesbill, Eupa- 
torium. Meadow Sweet, Lily, Helianthus, 
Enothera, Rudbeekia, Vervain, Veronia, Lobelia 
and many others that grow here and there, but 
are not found in all parts of the country, as those 
I have named are, for the most part. 

Among the shrubs are Elder, Spirea, Clethra, 
Sumach, Dogwood, and others equally as desir- 
able. 

Among the late bloomers are the Solidagos 
(Golden Rod), Asters, Helenium, Ironweed, 
and others which continue to bloom until cold 
weather is at hand. 

Among the desirable vines are the Ampelopsis, 
which vies with the Sumach in richness of color 
in fall, the Bittersweet, with its profusion of 
fruitage as brilliant as flowers, and the Clematis, 
beautiful in bloom, and quite as attractive later, 
when its seeds take on their peculiar feathery 
appendages that make the plant look as if a gray 
plume had been torn apart and scattered over 
the plant, portions of it adhering to every branch 
in the most airy, graceful manner imaginable. 

Though I have named only our most familiar 
16 m 



THE WILD GARDEN 



wild plants, it will be observed that the list is 
quite a long one. No one need be afraid of not 
being able to obtain plants enough to stock a 
good-sized garden. The trouble will be, in most 
instances, to find room for all the plants you 
would like to have represented in your collection, 
after you become thoroughly interested in the 
delightful work of making it. The attraction of 
it will increase as the collection increases, and 
as you discover what a wealth of material for 
garden-making we have at our very doors, with- 
out ever having dreamed of its existence, you will 
be tempted to exceed the limitations of the place 
because of the embarrassment of riches which 
makes a decision between desirable plants diffi- 
cult. You can have but few of them, but you 
would like all. 



THE WINTER GARDEN 



OST persons who are the 
owners of gardens seem to 
be under the impression that 
we must close the summer 
volume of Nature's book at 
the end of the season, and 
that it must remain closed 
until the spring of another year invites us to a 
re-perusal of its attractive pages. In other words, 
that we are not expected to derive much pleasure 
from the garden for six months of the year. 

There is no good reason why the home-grounds 
should not be attractive the year round if we 
plant for winter as well as summer effect. 

True, we cannot have flowers in winter, but 
we can secure color-effects with but little trouble 
that will make good, to a considerable extent, 
the lack of floral color. Without these the win- 
ter landscape is cold, though beautiful, and to 
most persons it will seem dreary and monotonous 
in its chill whiteness. But to those who have " the 
seeing eye," there are always elements of won- 
derful beauty in it, and there is ample material at 

243 




THE WINTER GARDEN 



hand with which to give it the touches of bright- 
ness that can make it almost as attractive as it is 
in June. 

If the reader will carefully study the two illus- 
trations accompanying this chapter, he will have 
to admit that the winter garden has many attrac- 
tive features that the summer garden cannot 
boast of. These illustrations are summer and 
winter views of the same spot, taken from one 
of our public parks. The summer view shows a 
wealth of foliage and bloom, and is one of Na- 
ture's beauty-spots that we never tire of. But 
the winter view has in it a suggestion of breadth 
and distance that adds wonderfully to the charm 
of the scene, brought out as it is by the naked 
branches against the sky, and glimpses of de- 
lightful vistas farther on, which are entirely 
hidden by the foliage that interferes with the 
outlook in the summer picture. Note how the 
evergreens stand out sharply against the back- 
ground, and how clearly every shrub — every 
branch — is outlined by the snow. It is one of 
Nature's etchings. Whatever color there is in 
the landscape is heightened and emphasized by 
strong, vivid contrast. There are little touches 
of exquisite beauty in this picture that cannot be 
found in the other. 

944 



THE WINTER GARDEN 



Most of us plant a few evergreens about our 
homes. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to 
locate them where they will prove effective. 
Oftener we put them where they have no chance 
to display their charms to good efF ect. They do 
not belong near the house — least of all in the 
" front yard." They must be admired at a dis- 
tance which will soften their coarseness of habit. 
You must be far enough away from them to be 
able to take in their charms of form and color 
at a glance, to observe the graceful sweep of their 
branches against the snow, and to fully bring out 
the strength and richness of color, none of which 
things can be done at close range. Looked at 
from a proper and respectful distance, every 
good specimen of evergreen will afford a great 
deal of pleasure. But it might be made to aff ord 
a great deal more if we were to set about it in the 
right way. Why not make our evergreens serve 
as backgrounds against which to bring out colors 
that rival, to some extent, the flowers of summer? 

Have you never taken a tramp along the edge 
of the woodland in winter, and come suddenly 
upon a group of Alders? What brightness 
seemed to radiate from their spikes of scarlet 
berries! The effect is something like that of a 
flame, so intense is it. It seems to radiate 

345 



THE WINTER GARDEN 



through the winter air with a thrill of positive 
warmth. So strong an impression do they make 
upon the eye that you see them long after you 
have passed them. They photograph themselves 
there. Why should we not transplant this bit of 
woodland glory to the garden, and heighten the 
effect of it by giving it an evergreen as a back- 
ground? Its scarlet fire, seen against the dark 
greenery of Spruce or Arbor Vitas, would make 
the winter garden fairly glow with color. 

I have seen the red-branched Willow planted 
near an evergreen, and the contrast of color 
brought out every branch so keenly that it seemed 
chiselled from coral. The effect was exquisite. 

Train Celastrus scandens^ better known as 
Bittersweet, where its pendant clusters of red 
and orange can show against evergreens, and you 
produce an effect that can be equalled by few 
flowers. 

The Berberry is an exceedingly useful shrub 
with which to work up vivid color-eff ects in win- 
ter. It sliows attractively among other shrubs, 
is charming when seen against a drift of snow, 
but is never quite so effective as when its rich- 
ness of coloring is emphasized by contrast by the 
sombre green of a Spruce or Balsam. 

Our native Cranberry — ^Viburnum opulus — ^is 

246 



THE WINTER GARDEN 



one of our best berry-bearing shrubs. It holds its 
crimson fruit well in winter. Planted among — 
not against — evergreens, it is wonderfully effect- 
ive because of its tall and stately habit. 

Bayberry (Myrica cerifera) is another showy- 
fruited shrub. Its grayish-white berries are 
thickly studded along its brown branches, and 
are retained through the winter. If this is 
planted side by side with the Alder, the effect 
will be found very pleasing. 

The Snowberry ( Symphoricarpus racemosus) 
has been cultivated for nearly a hundred years 
in our gardens, and probably stands at the head 
of the list of white-fruited shrubs. If this is 
planted in front of evergreens the purity of its 
color is brought out charmingly. Group it with 
the red-barked Willow, the Alder, or the Ber- 
berry, and you secure a contrast that makes the 
effect strikingly delightful — a symphony in 
green, scarlet, and white. If to this combina- 
tion you add the blue of a winter sky or the glow 
of a winter sunset, who can say there is not plenty 
of color in a winter landscape? 

The value of the Mountain Ash in winter deco- 
ration is just beginning to be understood. If it 
retained its fruit throughout the entire season it 
would be one of our most valuable plants, but 

247 



THE WINTER GARDEN 



the birds claim its crimson fruit as their especial 
property, and it is generally without a berry by 
Christmas in localities where robins and other 
berry-eating birds linger late in the season. Up 
to that time it is exceedingly attractive, especially 
if it is planted where it can have the benefit of 
strong contrast to bring out the rich color of its 
great clusters. Because of its tall and stately 
habit it will be found very eff ective when planted 
between evergreens, with other bright-colored 
shi'ubs in the foreground. 

There are many shrubs whose berries are blue, 
and purple, and black. While these are not as 
showy as those of scarlet and white, they are very 
attractive, and can be made extremely useful in 
the winter garden. They should not be neg- 
lected, because they widen the range of color to 
such an extent that the charge of monotony of 
tone in the winter landscape is ineffective. 

The Ramanas Rose (R. lucida) has very 
brilliant clusters of crimson fruit which retains 
its beauty long after the holidays. This shrub is 
really more attractive in winter than in summer. 

It will be understood, from what I said at the 
beginning of this chapter, that I put high value on 
the decorative effect of leafless shrubs. Their 
branches, whether traced against a background 

348 



THE WINTER GARDEN 



of sky or snow, make an embroidery that has 
about it a charm that summer cannot equal in 
delicacy. A Bittersweet, clambering over bush or 
tree, and displaying its many clusters of red and 
orange against a background of leafless branches, 
with the intense blue of winter sky showing 
through them, makes a picture that is brilliant in 
the extreme, when you consider the relative 
values of the colors composing it. Then you 
will discover that the charm is not confined to the 
color of the fruit, but to the delicate tracery of 
branch and twig, as well. 



WINDOW AND VERANDA 
BOXES 



OMEBODY had a bright 
thought when the window- 
box came into existence. 
The only wonder is that per- 
sons who were obHged to 
forego the pleasure of a gar- 
den did not think it out long 
ago. It is one of the " institutions " that have 
come to stay. We see more of them every year. 
Those who have gardens — or could have them, if 
they wanted them — seem to have a decided pref- 
erence for the window-box substitute. 

There is a good reason for this: The window- 
box brings the garden to one's room, while the 
garden obliges one to make it a visit in order 
to enjoy the beauty in it. With the window-box 
the upstair room can be made as pleasant as those 
below, and the woman in the kitchen can enjoy 
the companionship of flowers while she busies 
herself with her housewifely duties, if she does 
not care to make herself a back-yard garden such 
as I have spoken of in a preceding chapter. And 

250 




VERANDA BOXES 



the humble home that has no room for flowers 
outside its walls, the homes in the congested city, 
away up, up, up above the soil in which a few 
flowers might possibly be coaxed to grow, if man 
thought less of gain and more of beauty, can be 
made more like what home ought to be, with but 
httle trouble and expense, by giving these boxes 
a chance to do their good work at their windows. 
Blessed be the window-box ! 

Many persons, however, fail to attain success 
in the cultivation of plants in boxes at the win- 
dow-sill, and their failures have given rise to the 
impression in the minds of those who have 
watched their undertaking, that success with them 
is very problematical. " It looks easy," said a 
woman to me last season, " when you see some- 
body else's box just running over with vines, but 
when you come to make the attempt for 
yourself you wake up to the fact that there's a 
knack to it that most of us fail to discover. I've 
tried my best, for the last three years, to have 
such boxes as my neighbor has, and I haven't 
found out what's wrong yet. I invest in the 
plants that are told me to be best adapted to 
window-box culture. I plant them, and then I 
coax them and coddle them. I fertilize them and 
I shower them, but they stubbornly refuse to do 

S51 



.WINDOW AND 



well. They start off all right, but by the time 
they ought to be doing great things they begin 
to look rusty, and it isn't long before they look so 
sickly and forlorn that I feel like putting them 
out of their misery by dumping them in the ash- 
heap." 

Now this woman's experience is the experience 
of many other women. She thinks, — ^and they 
think, — that they lack the " gift " that enables 
some persons to grow flowers successfully while 
others fail utterly with them. They haven't " the 
knack." Now, as I have said elsewhere in this 
book, there's no such thing as "a knack " in 
flower-growing. Instead of "a knack" it's a 
" know-how." Ninety-nine times out of a hundred 
failure with window-boxes is due to just one 
thing: They let their plants die simply because 
they do not give them water enough. 

Liberal watering is the " know-how " that a 
person must have to make a success of growing 
good plants in window and veranda boxes. Sim- 
ply that, and nothing more. 

The average woman isn't given to " studying 
into things " as much as the average man is, so 
she often fails to get at the whys and wherefores 
of many happenings. She sees the plants in her 
boxes dying slowly, but she fails to take note of 

352 



fSTERANDA BOXES 



the fact that evaporation from these boxes is very- 
rapid. It could not be otherwise because of 
their exposure to wind and air on all sides. She 
applies water in quantities only sufficient to wet 
the surface of the soil, and because that looks 
moist she concludes there must be sufficient moist- 
ure below and lets it go at that. Examination 
would show her that an inch below the surface the 
soil in the box is very, very dry, — so dry, in fact, 
that no roots could find sustenance in it. This 
explains why plants " start off " well. While 
young and small their roots are close to the sur- 
face, and as long as they remain in that condi- 
tion they grow well enough, but as soon as they 
attempt to send their roots down — as all plants 
do, after the earlier stages of growth — they find 
no moisture, and in a short time they die. 

If, instead of applying a basinful of water, a 
pailful were used, daily, all the soil in a box of 
ordinary size would be made moist all through, 
and so long as a supply of water is kept up there 
is no reason why just as fine plants cannot be 
grown in boxes as in pots, or the garden beds. 
There is no danger of overwatering, for all sur- 
plus water will run off through the holes in the 
box, provided for drainage. Therefore make it a 
rule to apply to your window-box, every day, 

253 



WINDOW AND 



throughout the season, enough water to thor- 
oughly saturate all the soil in it. If this is done, 
you will come to the conclusion that at last you 
have discovered the " knack " upon which success 
depends. 

I am often asked what kind of boxes I con- 
sider best. To which I reply: " The kind that 
comes handiest." It isn't the box that your 
plants grow in that counts for much. It's the 
care you give. Of course the soil ought to be 
fairly rich, though a soil of ordinary fertility can 
be made to answer all purposes if a good dose of 
plant food is given occasionally. Care should be 
taken, however, not to make too frequent use of 
it, as it is an easy matter to force a growth that 
will be weak because of its rapidity, and from 
which there may be a disastrous reaction after a 
little. The result to aim at is a healthy growth, 
and when you secure that, be satisfied with it. 

The idea prevails to a considerable extent that 
one must make use of plants specially adapted to 
window-box culture. Now the fact is — almost 
any kind of plant can be grown in these boxes, 
there being no " special adaption " to this pur- 
pose, except as to profusion of bloom and habit 
of growth. Drooping plants are desirable to 
trail over the sides of the box, and add that touch 
of grace which is characteristic of all vines. 

B54i 



VERANDA BOXES 



Plants that bloom freely throughout the season 
should be chosen in preference to shy and short- 
season bloomers. Geraniums, Petunias, Ver- 
benas, Fuchsias, Salvias, Heliotropes, Paris 
Daisies — all these are excellent. 

If one cares to depend on foliage for color, 
most pleasing results can be secured by making 
use of the plants of which mention has been 
made in the chapter on Carpet-Bedding. 

Vines that will give satisfaction are Glechoma, 
green, with yellow variegation — ^Vinca Harris- 
onUj also green and yellow. Moneywort, German 
Ivy, Tradescantia, Thunbergia, and Othonna. A 
combination of plants with richly-colored foliage 
is especially desirable for boxes on the porch or 
veranda, where showiness seems to be considered 
as more important than delicacy of tint or refine- 
ment of quality. In these boxes larger plants can 
be used than one would care to give place to at 
the window. Here is where Cannas and Cala- 
diums will be found very effective. 

Ferns, like the Boston and Pierson varieties, 
are excellent for not too sunny window-boxes be- 
cause of their graceful drooping and spreading 
habit. They combine well with pink-and-white 
Fuchsias, rose-colored Ivy Geraniums, and the 
white Paris Daisy. Petunias — ^the single sorts 
only — are very satisfactory, because they bloom 



WINDOW BOXES 



so freely and constantly, and have enough of the 
droop in them to make them as useful in cover- 
ing the sides of the box as they are in spreading 
over its surface. If pink and white varieties are 
used to the exclusion of the mottled and varie- 
gated kinds the eff ect will be found vastly more 
pleasing than where there is an indiscriminate 
jumbling of colors. 

A foot in width, a foot in depth, and the length 
of the window frame to which it is to be attached 
is a good size for the average window-box. 
Great care must be taken to see that it is securely 
fastened to the frame, and that it is given a 
strong support, for the amount of earth it will 
contain will be of considerable weight when well 
saturated with water. 

Veranda boxes, in which larger plants are to 
be used, should be considerably deeper and wider 
than the ordinary window-box. Any box of the 
size desired that is substantial enough to hold a 
sufficient amount of soil will answer all pur- 
poses, therefore it is not necessary to invest in 
expensive goods unless you have so much money 
that economy is no object to you. If your plants 
grow as they ought to no one can tell, by mid- 
summer, whether your box cost ten dollars or ten 
cents. If it is of wood, give it a coat of some 
neutral-colored ^aint before you fill it* 

m 



SPRING WORK IN THE 
GARDEN 




OT much actual work can be 
done in the garden, at the 
north, before the middle of 
April. But a good deal can 
be done toward getting ready 
for active work as soon as 
conditions become favorable. 



Right here let me say that 
it is a most excellent plan to do all that can be 
done to advantage as early in the season as pos- 
sible, for the reason that when the weather be- 
comes warm, work will come with a rush, and in 
the hurry of it quite likely some of it will be 
slighted. Always aim to keep ahead of your 
work. 

I believe, as I have several times said, in plan- 
ning things. Your garden may be small — so 
small that you do not think it worth while to give 
much consideration to it in the way of making 
plans for it — but it will pay you to think over 
the arrangement of it in advance. " Making 
garden " doesn't consist simply in spading up a 
17 m 



SPRING WORK 



bed, and putting seed into the ground. Thought 
should be given to the location and arrangement 
of each kind of flower you make use of. The 
haphazard location of any plant is. likely to do it 
injustice, and the whole garden suffers in conse- 
quence. 

Make a mental picture of your garden as you 
would like to have it, and then take an inventory 
of the material you have to work with, and see 
how near you can come to the garden you have 
in mind. Try to find the proper place for every 
flower. Study up on habit, and color, and season 
of bloom, and you will not be likely to get things 
into the wrong place as you will be almost sure 
to do if you do not give considerable thought to 
this matter. There should be orderliness and 
system in the garden as well as in the house, and 
this can only come by knowing your plants, and 
so locating them that each one of them w^ill have 
the opportunity of making the most of itself. 

Beds can be spaded as soon as the frost is 
out of the ground, as advised in the chapter on 
The Garden of Annuals, but, as was said in that 
chapter, it is not advisable to do more with them 
at that time. If the ground is worked over when 
wet, the only result is that you get a good many 
small clods to take the place of large ones. Noth- 

258 



IN THE GARDEN 



ing is gained by being in a hurry with this part 
of the work. Pulverization of the soil can only 
be accomplished successfully after it has parted 
with the excessive moisture consequent on melt- 
ing snows and spring rains. Therefore let it 
lie as thrown up by the spade until it is in a con- 
dition to crumble readily under the application of 
hoe or rake. 

Shrubs can be reset as soon as frost is out of 
the ground. Remove all defective roots when 
this is done. Make the soil in which you plant 
them quite rich, and follow the instruction given 
in the chapter on Shrubs as carefully as possible, 
in the work of resetting. 

If any changes are to be made in the border, 
plan for them now. Decide just what you want 
to do. Don't allow any guesswork about it. If 
you " think out " these things the home grounds 
will improve year by year, and you will have a 
place to be proud of. But the planless system 
which so many follow never gives satisfactory 
results. It gives one the impression of something 
that started for somewhere but never arrived at 
its destination. 

Old border plants which have received little 
or no attention for years will be greatly bene- 
fited by transplanting at this season. Cut away 

359 



SPRING WORK 



all the older roots, and make use of none that 
are not strong and healthy. Give them a rich 
soil. Most of them will have renewed themselves 
by midsummer. 

If you do not care to take up the old plants, 
cut about them with a sharp knife, and remove 
as many of the old roots as possible. This is 
often almost as eff ective as transplanting, and it 
does not involve as much labor. 

The lawn should be given attention at this 
season. Rake off all unsightly refuse that may 
have collected on it during winter. Give it an 
application of some good fertilizer. It is quite 
important that this should be done early in the 
season, as grass begins to grow almost as soon as 
frost is out of the ground, and the sward should 
have something to feed on as soon as it is ready 
for work. 

Go over all the shrubs and see if any need 
attention in the way of pruning. But don't 
touch them with the pruning knife unless they 
really need it. Cut out old wood and weak 
branches, if there are any, and thin, if too thick, 
but leave the bush to train itself. It knows more 
about this than you do! 

Get racks and trellises ready for summer use. 
These are generally made on the spur of the 

960 



IN THE GARDEN 



moment, out of whatever material comes handiest 
at the time they are needed. Such hurriedly 
constructed things are pretty sure to prove eye- 
sores. The gardener who takes pride in his work 
and his garden will not be satisfied with make- 
shifts, but will see that whatever is needed, along 
this line, is well made, and looks so well that he 
has no reason to be ashamed of it. It should be 
painted a dark green or some other neutral color. 

Rake the mulch away from the plants that 
were given protection in fall as soon as the 
weather gets warm enough to start them to grow- 
ing. Or it can be dug into the soil about them 
to act as a fertilizer. Get it out of sight, for it 
always gives the g:arden an untidy effect if left 
about the plants. 

Go over the border plants and uproot all grass 
that has secured a foothold there. A space of a 
foot should be left about all shrubs and peren- 
nials in which nothing should be allowed to grow. 

If any plants seem out of place, take them up 
and put them where they belong. If you cannot 
find a place where they seem to fit in, discard 
them. The garden will be better off without 
them, no matter how desirable they are, than with 
them if their presence creates color-discord. 

361 



SPRING WORK 



Peonies can be moved to advantage now. If 
you cut about the old clump and lift a good deal 
of earth with it, and do not interfere with its 
roots, no harm will be done. But if you muti- 
late its roots, or expose them, you need not ex- 
pect any flowers from the plant for a season or 
two. 

Get stakes ready for the Dahlias. These 
should be painted some unobtrusive color. If 
this is done, and they are taken proper care of 
in fall, they will last for years. This is true of 
racks and trellises. 

Provide yourself with a hoe, an iron-toothed 
rake, a weeding-hook, a trowel for transplanting, 
a wheel-barrow, a spade, and a watering-pot. 
See that the latter is made from galvanized iron 
if you want it to last. Tin pots will rust out in 
a short time. 

Take your watering-pot to the tinsmith and 
have him fit it out with an extension spout — one 
that can be slipped on to the end of the spout 
that comes with the pot. Let this be at least two 
feet in length. This will enable you to apply 
water to the roots of plants standing well back 
in the border, or across beds, and get it just where 
it will do the most good, but a short-spouted 
plant will not do this unless you take a good 

262 



IN THE GARDEN 



many unnecessary steps in making the appli- 
cation. 

Be sure to send in your orders for seed and 
plants early in the season. Have everything on 
hand, ready for putting into the ground when 
the proper time comes to do this. 



SUMMER WORK IN THE 
GARDEN 



F weeds are kept down 
through the early part of 
the season, there will not be 
a great deal of weeding to 
do in midsummer. Still, we 
cannot afford to take it for 
granted that they require no 
attention, for they are most aggressive things, 
and so persistent are they that they will take 
advantage of every opportunity for perpetuating 
themselves. Therefore be on the lookout for 
them, and as soon as you discover one that has 
thought to escape your notice by hiding behind 
some flowering plant, uproot it. One weed will 
furnish seed enough to fill the entire garden with 
plants next year if let alone. 

If the season happens to be very dry, some of 
your plants — ^Dahlias, for instance, — ^will have 
to be watered if you want them to amount to 
anything. These must have moisture at their 
roots in order to flower well. 

Other plants may be able to get along with 

S64 




WORK IN THE GARDElSr 



a mulch of grass-clippings from the lawn. Most 
of our annuals will stand quite a drouth. 

If one is connected with a system of water- 
works it is an easy matter to tide a garden over 
a drouth. Eut where there is nothing but the 
pump to depend on for a supply of water, I 
would not advise beginning artificial watering 
except in rare cases, like that of the Dahlia. We 
always find that so much work is required in 
supplying our plants from the pump that after 
a little we abandon the undertaking, and the re- 
sult is that the plants we set out to be kind to are 
left in a worse condition, when we give up our 
spasmodic attention, than they would have been 
in if we had not begun it. 

It is well to use the hoe constantly if the season 
is a dry one. Keep the surface of the soil open 
that it may take in all the moisture possible. On 
no account allow it to become crusted over. 

Seed of perennials can be sown now to furnish 
plants for flowering next season. 

Look to the Dahlias, and make sure they are 
properly staked. 

Be on the lookout for black beetle on Aster 
and Chrysanthemum. As soon as one is discov- 
ered apply Nicoticide, and apply it thoroughly, 
all over the plant. Promptness is demanded in 
fighting this voracious pest. 

265 



SUMMER WORK 



During the latter part of summer, when the 
extreme hot weather that we have at the north 
sets in, cut away nearly all the top of the JPansy- 
plants. This will give the plants a chance to 
rest during the season when they are not equal 
to the task of flowering, because of the hot, dry 
weather which is so trying to them. Along in 
September, when the weather becomes cooler, 
Ithey will take a fresh start and give us fine 
flowers all through the fall. 

Look over the perennials and satisfy yourself 
that there is color-harmony everywhere. If you 
find a discord anywhere, mark the plant that 
makes it for removal later on. 

Be sure to keep all seed from developing on the 
'Sweet Peas. This you must do if you would 
have a good crop of flowers during the fall 
months. 

If any plants seem too thick, sacrifice some of 
them promptly. No plant can develop itself 
satisfactorily if it is crowded. 

Poor plants will find their way into all col- 
lections. If you find one in yours, remove it 
at once. There are so many good ones at our 
disposal that we cannot aff ord to give place, even 
for a season, to an inferior kind. 

Let neatness prevail everywhere. Gather up 

266 



IN THE GARDEN 



dead leaves and fallen flowers, cut away the 
stalks of plants upon which no more flowers can 
be expected, and keep the walks looking as if 
you expected visitors at any time, and were de- 
termined not to be caught in untidy garments. 

While the good gardener can always find 
something to do in the garden, he will not have 
as much work on his hands at this season as at 
any other, therefore it is the time in which he 
can get the greatest amount of pleasure from 
his flowers, and in proportion to his care of them 
earlier in the season will be the pleasure they 
afford now. 



FALL WORK IN THE GARDEN 




ECAUSE the growth of 
grass on the lawn is not as 
luxuriant and rapid in fall 
as it is in midsummer, is no 
reason why the lawn should 
be neglected after summer is 
over. It should be mowed 
whenever the grass gets too tall to look well, 
clear up to the end of the season. The neat and 
attractive appearance of the home-grounds de- 
pends more upon the lawn than anything else 
about them. It is a good plan to fertilize it well 
in fall, thus enabling the roots of the sward to 
store up nutriment for the coming season. Fine 
bonemeal is as good for this purpose as any- 
thing I know of except barnyard manure, and 
it is superior to that in one respect — ^it does not 
contain the seeds of weeds. 

Go over the garden before the end of the season 
and gather up all plants that have completed 
their work. If we neglect to give attention to 
the beds now that the flowering-period is over, 
a general appearance of untidiness will soon 

368 



WORK IN THE GARDEN 



dominate everything. Much of the depressing 
effect of late fall is due to this lack of attention. 
The prompt removal of all unsightly objects will 
keep the grounds looking clean after the season 
has passed its prime, and we all know what the 
Good Book's estimate of cleanliness is. 

Seedlings of such perennials as Hollyhock, 
Delphinium, and other plants of similar char- 
acter, ought to be transplanted to the places they 
are to occupy next season by the last of Septem- 
ber. If care is taken not to disturb their roots 
when you lift them they will receive no check. 

If you give your Hybrid Perpetual Roses a 
good, sharp cutting-back early in September, and 
manure the soil about them well, you may reason- 
ably expect a few fine flowers from them later 
on. And what is more delightful than a perfect 
Rose gathered from your own garden just at the 
edge of winter? 

Perennials can be divided and reset, if neces- 
sary, immediately after they have ripened ofE 
the growth of the present year. If this work is 
done now, there will be just so much less to do 
in spring. 

Before the coming of cold weather all tools 
used in gardening operations should be gathered 
up and stored under cover. If any repairs are 



FALL WORK IN 



needed, make note of them, and see that the work 
is done in winter, so that everything needed in 
spring may be in readiness for use. It is a good 
plan to give all wood-work a coat of paint at 
the time it is stored away, and to go over the 
metal part of every tool with a wash of vaseline 
to prevent rust. 

Have a general house-cleaning before winter 
sets in. Cut away the stalks of the perennials. 
Pull up all annuals. Rake up the leaves, and 
add everything of this kind to the compost heap. 
All garden refuse should find its way there, to be 
transmuted by the alchemy of sun and rain, and 
the disintegrating forces of nature into that most 
valuable of soil constituents — humus. Let noth- 
ing that has any value in it be wasted. 

After hard frosts have killed the tops of Dah- 
lias, Cannas, Caladiums and Gladioluses, their 
roots should be dug, on some warm and sunny 
day, and prepared for storage in the cellar or 
closet. Spread them out in the sunshine, and 
leave them there until the soil that was dug with 
them is dry enough to crumble away from them. 
At night cover with something to keep out the 
cold, and expose them to the curative effects of 
the sun next day. It may be necessary to do this 
several days in succession. The great amount of 

m 



THE GARDEN 



moisture which they contain when first dug 
should be given a chance to evaporate to a con- 
siderable extent before it will be safe to put them 
away for the winter. Cut off the old stalks close 
to the root before storing. 

While clearing the beds of dead plants and 
leaves be on the lookout for insects of various 
kinds. The cut-worm may still be in evidence, 
and may be found among the rubbish which you 
gather up. And if found, destroy it on the spot. 
This precaution will go far toward safeguarding 
plants in spring, many of which are annually 
injured by the depredations of this pest. 

When you are sure that cold weather is at 
hand, cover the bulb-bed with coarse manure or 
litter, hay, or straw, as advised in the chapter 
on The Bulb Garden. And give your Roses the 
protection advised in the chapter on The Rose. 

Cover Pansies lightly with leaves or evergreen 
branches. If you have mulch enough, apply 
some to your hardy plants, and next spring note 
the diff erence between them and the plants which 
were not given any protection. 



BY WAY OF POSTSCRIPT 

A CHAPTER OF AFTERTHOUGHTS WHICH THE 
READER CANNOT AFFORD TO MISS 



HINK things out for your- 
self. Do not try to copy 
anybody else's garden, as 
so many attempt to do. 
Be original. What you 
see on your neighbor's home 
grounds may suggest some- 
thing similar for your own grounds, but 
be content with the idea suggested. He 
may not have a patent on his own working- 
out of the idea — ^indeed, the idea may not have 
been one of his originating — ^but the manner in 
which he has expressed it is his own and you 
should respect his right to it. Imitation of what 
others have done, or are doing, is likely to spoil 
everything. If the best you can do is to copy 
your neighbor's work servilely in all its details, 
turn your attention to something else. If all 
the flower-gardens in the neighborhood were 
simply duplicates of each other in material and 
arrangement, the uniformity of them would be 

m 




PLANTING TO HIDE FOUNDATION WALLS 



POSTSCRIPT 



so monotonous in effect that it would be a relief 
to find a place that was without a garden. 

***** 

Never imitate an}d:hing that you see on the 
grounds of wealthy people with cheap and in- 
ferior material. The result ^vill be a sham that 
will deceive no one, and you will soon tire of it, 
and the sooner the better. Be honest. If you 
have only cheap material to work with, be satis- 
fied with unambitious undertakings. Let them 
be in keeping with what you have to work with — 
simple, unpretentious, and without any attempt 
in the way of deception. The humblest home can 
be made attractive by holding fast to the prin- 
ciple of honesty in everything that is done about 
it. It is not necessary to imitate in order to make 
it attractive. Think out things for yourself, and 
endeavor to do the best you can with the material 
at hand, and under the conditions that prevail, 
and be content with that. The result will aff ord 
you vastly more satisfaction, even if it does not 
measure up to what you would like, than you can 
possibly realize by imitating another's work. 
There is a deal of pleasure in being able to say 
about one's home or garden, " It may not be as 
fine as my neighbor's, but, such as it is, it is all 

18 ^3 



BY WAY OF 



mine. I have put myself into it. It may be plain 
and humble, but — there's honesty in it." And 
that is a feature you have a right to be proud of. 
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

Never make the mistake of neglecting good 
old plants for the sake of something new, simply 
because it is new. Old plants — plants that have 
held their own against all newcomers — are the 
ones to depend on. The fact that they have held 
their own is sufficient proof of their merits. Had 
they been inferior in any respect they would have 
dropped from notice long ago, like the " novel- 
ties " that aspired to take their places. Old 
plants are like old friends, old ^vine — all the bet- 
ter because of their age. There's something sub- 
stantial about them. We do not tire of them. 
We know what to expect of them, and they 
never disappoint us. 

*^ 7^ Vf*' 

Never make the mistake of thinking the shape 
of a bed deserves more consideration than what 
you put into the bed. It's the flower that de- 
serves attention, — not the bed it grows in. It 
isn't treating a flower with proper respect to 
give it secondary place. 

***** 

274 



POSTSCRIPT 



Many an amateur gardener tries to have a 
little of everything, and the result is that he has 
nothing worth speaking of, because quality has 
been sacrificed to quantity. Grow only as many 
flowers as you can grow well, and be wise in 
selecting only such kinds as do best under the 
conditions in which they must be grown. De- 
pend upon kinds that have been tried and not 
found wanting unless you have a fondness for 
experimenting. 

¥^ ^ ^ 

No really artistic results can be secured by the 
use of seeds in which all colors are mixed. If 
you desire harmonious effects, you will have to 
purchase seed in which each color is by itself. 
A few varieties in which there is perfect color- 
harmony ^dll please you far more than a collec- 
tion in which all the colors of the rainbow are 
represented. Take the Sweet Pea as an illus- 
tration of this idea: From a package of mixed 
seed you will get a score of different colors or 
shades, and many of these, though beautiful in 
themselves, will produce positive discord when 
grown side by side. The eye of the person who 
has fine color-sense will be pained by the lack of 
harmony. But confine your selection to the soft 

m 



BY WAY OF 



pinks, the delicate lavenders, and the pure whites, 
and the result will be something to delight the 
artistic eye^ — ^restful, harmonious, and as pleasing 
as a strain of exquisite poetry — in fact, a poem in 
color. What is true of the Sweet Pea, in this 
respect, is equally true of all plants which range 
through a great variety of colors. Eear this in 
mind when you select seeds for your garden of 
annuals. 

Don't throw away any plants that are worth 
growing. If you have no use for them some of 
your neighbors will doubtless be glad to get 
them. Give them to the poor children of your 
neighborhood, and tell them how to care for them, 
and you will not only be doing a kind deed but 
you will be putting into the life that needs uplift- 
ing and refining influences a means of help and 
education that you little guess the power of for 
good. For every plant is a teacher, and a 
preacher of the gospel of beauty, and its mission 
is to brighten and broaden every life that comes 
under its influence. All that it asks is an oppor- 
tunity to fulfill that mission. 

^f^ ¥^ ^fS* 

If no one cares for the plants you have no use 
for, give them a place in out-of-the-way nooks 

m 



POSTSCRIPT 



and corners — in the roadside, even, if there is 
no other place for them. A stock of this kind, 
to draw upon in case any of your old plants fail 
in winter, will save expense and trouble, and pre- 
vent bare spots from detracting from the appear- 
ance of the home grounds. It is always well to 
have a few plants in reserve for just such emer- 
gencies as this. Very frequently the odds-and- 
ends corner of the garden is the most attractive 
feature in it. 

^ ^ ^ ^ * 

Many a place is all but spoiled because its 
owner finds it difficult to confine his selection of 
plants for it to the number it will conveniently 
accommodate. There are so many desirable ones 
to choose from that it is no easy matter to deter- 
mine which you will have, because — ^you want 
them all ! But one must be governed by the con- 
ditions that cannot be changed. Unfortunately 
the home-lot is not elastic. Small grounds neces- 
sitate small collections if we would avoid clutter- 
ing up the place in a manner that makes it im- 
possible to grow anything well. Shrubs must 
have elbow-room in order to display their attrac- 
tions to the best advantage. Keep this in mind, 
and set out only as many as there will be room 

m 



BY WAY OF 



for when they have fully developed. It may 
cost you a pang to discard an old favorite, but 
often it has to be done out of regard for the 
future welfare of the kinds you feel you must 
have. If you overstock your garden, it will give 
you many pangs to see how the plants in it 
suffer from the effect of crowding. If you can- 
not have all the good things, have the very best 
of the list, and try to grow them so well that they 
will make up in quality for the lack in quantity. 
I know of a little garden in which but three plants 
grow, but the owner of them gives them such care 
that these three plants attract more attention 
from passers-by than any other garden on that 
street. 

OfC' '^f' 

Be methodical in your garden-work. Keep 
watch of everything, and when you see some- 
thing that needs doing, do it. And do it well. 
One secret of success in gardening is in doing 
everything as if it was the one thing to be done. 
Slight nothing. 

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

For vines that do not grow thick enough to 
hide everything with their foliage, a lattice f rame- 

278 



POSTSCRIPT 



work of lath, painted white, is the most satis- 
factory support, because of the pleasing color- 
contrast between it and the plants trained over 
it. Both support and plant will be ornamental, 
and one will admirably supplement the other. 
The lattice will be an attractive feature of the 
garden when the vine that grew over it is dead, 
if it is kept neatly painted. 

Cjj 3|C* 

But for the rampant grower a coarse-meshed 
wire netting is just as good, and considerably less 
expensive, in the long run, as it will do duty for 
many years, if taken care of at the end of the 
season. Roll it up and put it under cover before 
the fall rains set in. 

***** 

The simple fact of newness is nothing in any 
plant's favor. Unless it has real merit, it will 
not find purchasers after the first season. Bet- 
ter wait until you know what a plant is before 
investing in it. We have so many excellent 
plants with whose good qualities we are familiar 
that it is not necessary to run any risks of this 
kind. 

***** 

979 



BY WAY OF 



Many home-owners make the mistake of put- 
ting down boardwalks about the dweUing and 
yard. Such a walk is never attractive, and it has 
not the merit of durability, for after a year or 
two it will need repairs, and from that time on it 
will be a constant source of expense. The varie- 
gated appearance of a patched-up boardwalk will 
seriously detract from the attractiveness of any 
garden. It may cost more, at first, to put down 
cement walks, — ^though I am inclined to doubt 
this, at the present price of lumber — but such 
walks are good for a lifetime, if properly con- 
structed, therefore much cheaper in the end. 
There can be no two opinions as to their superior 
appearance. Their cool gray color brings them 
into harmony with their surroundings. They are 
never obtrusive. They are easily cleaned, both 
summer and winter. And the home-maker can 
put them in quite as well as the professional 
worker in cement if he sets out to do so, though 
he may be longer at the work. 

But make sure about the location of your paths 
before putting in cement walks. That is — be 
quite sure that you know where you want them 
to be. A boardwalk can be changed at any time 

280 



POSTSCRIPT 



with but little trouble if you get it in the wrong 
place, but a cement walk, once down, is down for 
all time, unless you are willing to spend a good 
deal of hard labor in its removal. 

Never do spasmodic work in the garden. The 
unwise gardener neglects what needs doing until 
so much has accumulated that he is forced to give 
it attention, and then he hurries in his eff orts to 
dispose of it, and the consequence is that much 
of it is likely to be so poorly done that plants 
suffer nearly as much from his hasty operations 
as they did from neglect. Do whatever needs 
doing in a systematic way, and keep ahead of 
your work. Never be driven by it. 

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

It is one of the most satisfactory laws of 
Nature that we can have only what we work for 
Too many seem to forget this, and think that 
because a flower hasn't a market value, like corn 
or wheat, it ought to grow without any atten- 
tion on their part. Such persons do not under- 
stand the real value of a flower, which is none 
the less because it cannot be computed on the 
basis of a dollars-and-cents calculation. 

281 



BY WAY OF 



Man, wife, and all the children ought to work 
together for whatever adds beauty to the home, 
and nothing is more effective in this line than a 
good flower-garden. I can remember when it 
was considered an indication of weakness for 
a man to admit that he was fond of flowers. I 
look back with amusement to my own experience 
in this respect. Because I loved flowers so well, 
when I was a wee bit of a lad, that I attempted 
to grow them, I was often laughed at for being 
a " girl-boy." " He ought to have been a girl," 
one of my uncles used to say. " You'll have to 
learn him to do sewing and housework." It 
often stung me to anger to listen to these sarcastic 
remarks, but I am glad that my love for flowers 
was strong enough to keep me at work among 
them, for I know that I am a better man to-day 
than I would have been had I allowed myself to 
be ridiculed out of my love for them. If the 
children manifest a desire to have little gardens 
of their own encourage them to do so, and feel 
sure that the cultivation of them will prove to be 
a strong factor in the development of the child 
mind. 

^ ^ 

Seedling Hollyhocks almost always look well 
when winter comes, but in spring we find their 



POSTSCRIPT 



leaves decaying from the effect of too much 
moisture, and this decay is likely to be communi- 
cated to the crown of the plant, and that means 
failure. Of late years I protect my plants by 
inverting small boxes over them. The sides of 
these boxes are bored full of holes to admit air, 
which must be allowed to circulate freely about 
the plant, or it will smother. I invert a box over 
the plant after filling it with leaves, and draw 
more leaves about the outside of it. This pre- 
vents water from coming in contact with the soft, 
sponge-like foliage, and the plant comes out in 
spring almost as green as it was in fall. 

Plants can be moved with comparative safety 
any time during the summer if one is careful to 
disturb their roots as little as possible. Take 
them up with a large amount of soil adhering, 
and handle so carefully that it will not break 
apart. It is a good plan to apply enough water 
before attempting to lift them to thoroughly 
saturate all the soil containing the roots. This 
will hold the earth together, and prevent ex- 
posure of the roots, which is the main thing to 
guard against. 

* * * * ^ 

283 



BY WAY OF 



After putting the plant in place, apply water 
liberally, and then mulch the soil about it with 
grass-clippings or manure. Of course removal 
at that season will check the growth of the plant 
to a considerable extent, ajid probably end its 
usefulness for the remainder of the season. Un- 
less absolutely necessary, I would not attempt 
the work at this time, for spring and fall are the 

proper seasons for doing it. 

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

In a letter recently received a lady asks this 
question: Do you believe in flower-shows? If 
you think they help the cause of flower-growing, 
will you kindly tell me how to go to work to 
organize such a society? " 

To the first question I reply: I do believe in 
flower-shows and horticultural societies when 
they are calculated to increase the love and ap- 
preciation of flowers as flowers, rather than to 
call attention to the skill of the florist in pro- 
ducing freaks which are only attractive as curi- 
osities. I sincerely hope that the day of Chrys- 
anthemums a foot across and Roses as large 

as small Cabbages is on the wane. 

***** 

The thing to do in organizing a floral associa- 
tion is— to paraphrase Horace Greeley's famous 

284 



POSTSCRIPT 



advice as to the resumption of specie payment — 
to organize ! In other words, to get right down 
to business and give the proposed society a start 
by bringing flower-loving people together, and 
beginning to work without wasting time on un- 
necessary details. If you make use of much 
" red tape " you will kill the undertaking at the 
outset. Simply form your society and appoint 
your committees, and you will find that the 
various matters which perplex you when looked 
at in the whole will readily adjust themselves to 
the conditions that arise as the society goes on 
with its work. Put theories aside, and do some- 
thing ^ and you will find very little difficulty in 
making your society successful if you can secure 
a dozen really interested persons as members. 
I would be glad to know that such a society ex- 
isted in every community. 

***** 

I would advise my readers never to have any- 
thing to do with plant-peddlers. Of course it is 
possible for the man who goes about the country 
with plants for sale to be as honest as any other 
man, but we see so few indications of the posses- 
sion of honest principles by the majority of these 
men that we have come to consider them all 

285 



BY WAY OF 



unreliable, and, as a matter of protection, we 
have to refuse to patronize any of them at the 
risk of doing injustice to those who may be 
strictly reliable. iThey will sell you Roses that 
have a different colored flower each month 
throughout the season, blue Roses, Resurrection 
Plants that come to life at a snap of the finger, 
and are equally valuable for decorative purposes 
and for keeping moths out of clothing, and nu- 
merous other things rare, wonderful, and all 
high priced, every one of which can be classed 
among the humbugs. Patronize dealers in whom 
you are justified in having confidence because 
of a well-established reputation for fair dealing. 

The Hollyhock is often attacked by what is 
called " rust." The leaves become brown, and 
dry at the edges, and the entire plant has a look 
much like that of a nail which has been for some 
time in water, hence the popular name of the 
disease. This " rust " is really a fungoid trouble, 
and unless it is promptly checked it will soon 
spread to other plants. If it appears on several 
plants at the same time, I would advise cutting 
them, and burning every branch and stalk. If 
but one plant is attacked, I would spray it with 



POSTSCRIPT 



Bordeaux Mixture, which can now be obtained in 
paste form from most florists. This is the only 
dependable remedy I know of for the fungus ills 
that plants are heir to. Asparagus is often so 
badly affected with it, of late years, that many 
growers have been obliged to mow down their 
plants and burn their tops in midsummer, in their 
efforts to save their stock. Never leave any of 
the cut-off portions of a plant on the ground, 
thinking that cutting down is all that is neces- 
sary. The fungus spores will survive the winter, 
and be ready for work in spring. Burn every- 
thing. 

A house whose foundation walls are left fully 
exposed always has an unfinished look. But if 
we hide them by shrubs and flowering plants the 
place takes on a look of completion, and the 
effect is so pleasing that we wonder why any 
house should be left with bare walls. The plants 
about it seem to unite it with the grounds in such 
a manner that it becomes a part of them. But 
the house whose walls are T\dthout the grace of 
" green things growing," always suggest that 
verse in the Good Book which tells of " being in 
the world, but not of it." 

m 



BY WAY OF 



I would always surround the dwelling with 
shrubs and perennials, and use annuals and bulbs 
between them and the paths that run around the 
house. 

* * * * 4& 

On the north side of a dwelling large-growing 
Ferns can be planted with fine effect. These 
should be gathered in spring, and a good deal of 
native soil should be brought with them from the 
woods. They will not amount to much the first 
year, but they will afford you a great deal of 
pleasure thereafter. Use in front of them such 
shade-loving plants as Lily of the Valley and 
Myosotis. 

Nowadays " tropical effects " are greatly ad- 
mired. We have but few plants that adapt them- 
selves to this phase of gardening. Canna, Cala- 
dium, Ricinus, Coleus, " Golden Feather " Py- 
rethrum and the gray Centaurea cover pretty 
nearly the entire list. But by varying the com- 
binations that can be made with them the ama- 
teur can produce many new and pleasing effects, 
thus avoiding the monotony which results from 
simply copying the beds that we see year after 



POSTSCRIPT 



year in the public parks, from whose likeness to 
each other we get the impression that no other 
combination can be made. Study out new 
arrangements for yourself. Plant them, group 
them, use them as backgrounds for flowering 
plants, mass them in open spaces in the border. 
Do not get the idea that they must always be 
used by themselves. Cannas, because of the 
great variety of color in their foliage, can be 
made attractive when used alone, but the others 
depend upon combination with other plants for 
the contrast which brings out and emphasizes 
their attractive features. 

* * * « * 

Speaking of new arrangements reminds me to 
say that the amateur gardener ought always to 
plan for original effects if he or she would get 
out of gardening all the pleasure there is in it. 
It may seem almost necessary for the beginner to 
copy the ideas of others in the arrangement of the 
garden, to a considerable extent, but he should 
not get into the slavish habit of doing so. Haz- 
litt says : " Originality implies independence of 
opinion. It consists in seeing for one's self." 
That's it, exactly. Study your plants. Find out 
their possibilities. And then plan arrangements 

19 ^9 



BY WAY OF 



of your own for next season. Have an opinion 
of your own, and be independent enough to 
attempt its carrying out. Don't be afraid of 
yourself. Originate ! Originate ! Originate I 

^ ¥^ ^ ^ 

When you invest your money in a fine plant 
you do it for the pleasure of yourself and family. 
When a neighbor comes along and admires it, 
and asks you to divide it with her, don't let your- 
self be frightened into doing so from regard of 
what she may say or think if you refuse. Tell 
her where she can get a plant like it, but don't 
spoil your own plant for anybody. 

I am well aware that advice of this kind may 
seem selfish, but it is not. There's no good reason 
why my neighbor should not get his plants in the 
same way I got mine. I buy with the idea of 
beautifying my home with them, and this I can- 
not do so long as I yield to everybody's request 
for a slip or a root. 

I have in mind a woman who, some years ago, 
invested in a rare variety of Peony. When her 
plant came into bloom her friends admired it so 
much that they all declared they must have a 
" toe " of it. The poor woman hated terribly to 
disturb her plant, for she was quite sure what 

m 



POSTSCRIPT 



the result would be, having had considerable 
experience with Peonies, but she lacked the cour-^ 
age to say no, and the consequence was that she 
gave a root to the first applicant, and that made 
it impossible for her to refuse the second one 
and those who came after, and from that time to 
this she has kept giving away " toes," and her 
plant is a poor little thing to-day, not much 
larger than when it was first planted, while plants 
grown from it are large and fine. She wouldn't 
mind it so much if her friends were willing to 
divide their plants with their friends, but they 
will not do this " for fear of spoiling them." 
Instead, they send their friends to her. This is a 
fact, and I presume it can be duplicated in almost 
every neighborhood. 

^ ^ ^ ¥^ ^ 

The flower-loving person is, as a general thing, 
a very generous person, and he takes delight in 
dividing his plants with others when he can do 
so without injuring them. He is glad to do this 
because of his love for flowers, and the pleasure 
it affords him to get others interested in them and 
their culture. But there is such a thing as being 
overgenerous. Our motto should be, " Home's 
garden first, my neighbor's garden afterward." 

m 



BY WAY OF 



It is generally thoughtlessness which prompts 
people to ask us to divide our choice plants with 
them. If we were to be frank with them, and tell 
them why we do not care to do tliis, they would 
readily imderstand the situation, and, instead of 
blaming us for our refusal, they would blame 
themselves for having been so thoughtlessly 
selfish as to have made the request. 

The question is often asked: 

"Why can't we save our own flower-seeds? 
Aren't the plants we grow just as healthy as 
those of the seedsmen we patronize year after 
year? Ought not the seed from them to be just 
as good as that we buy? " 

Just as good, no doubt, in one sense, and not 
as good, in another. We grow our plants for 
their flowers. The seedsmen grow theirs for their 
seed, and in order to secure the very best article 
they give their plants care and culture that ours 
are not likely to get. Their methods are calcu- 
lated to result in constant improvement. Ours 
tend in the other direction. The person who grows 
plants year after year from home-grown seed 
vrill almost invariably tell you that her plants 
" seem to be running out." 



POSTSCRIPT 



The remedy for this state of things is to get 
fresh seed, each year, from the men who under- 
stand how to grow it to perfection. 

One ought always to keep his shrubs and choice 
plants labelled so that no mistake can be made as 
to variety. We may be on speaking terms with 
the whole Smith family, but we never feel really 
acquainted with them until we know which is 
John, or Susan, or William. It ought to be so 
in our friendship with our plants. Who that loves 
Roses would be content to speak of La France, 
and Madame Plantier, and Captain Christy 
simply as Roses? We must be on such intimate 
terms with them that each one has a personality 
of its own for us. Then we know them, and 
not till then. 

* * * * * 

The best label to make use of is a zinc one, be- 
cause it is almost everlasting, while a wooden one 
is short lived, and whatever is written on it soon 
becomes indistinct. 

^i^ ^ ^ 4if 

In attaching any label to a plant, be careful 
not to twist the wire with which you attach it so 

293 



BY WAY OF 



tightly that it will cut into the branch. As the 
branch grows the wire will shut off the circulation 
of the plant's life-blood through that branch, and 
the result will be disastrous to that portion of 
the plant. 

***** 

Different varieties of perennials ought to be 
kept track of quite as much as in the case of 
shrubs. As the old stalks die away and are cut 
off each season, there is no part of the plant to 
which a label can be attached with any perma- 
nence. There are iron sockets on the market into 
which the piece of wood bearing the name of the 
variety can be inserted. An all-wool label would 
speedily decay in contact with the soil. 

***** 

Sometimes we get very amusing letters from 
parties " in search of information." Not long 
ago a woman sent me a leaf from her Boston 
Fern, calling my attention to the " bugs " on the 
lower side of it, and asking how she could get rid 
of them. How did I suppose they contrived to 
arrange themselves with such regularity? A 
little careful investigation would have shown her 
that the rows of " bugs " were seed-spores. If 

294 



POSTSCRIPT 



anything about your plants puzzles you, use your 
eyes and your intelligence, and endeavor to find 
out the " whys and wherefores " for yourself. 
You will enjoy doing this when you once get 
into the habit of it. Information that comes to 
us through our own efforts is always appreciated 
much more than that which comes to us second- 
hand. Make a practice of personal investiga- 
tion in order to get at a solution of the problems 
that will constantly confront you in gardening 
operations. 

***** 

In answer to another correspondent who asked 
me to recommend some thoroughly reliable fer- 
tilizer, I advised " old cow-manure." Back came 
a letter, saying I had neglected to state how old 
the cow ought to be! 

***** 

But the funny things are not all said by our 
correspondents. I lately came across an article 
credited to a leading English gardening maga- 
zine in which the statement was made that a cer- 
tain kind of weed closely resembling the Onion 
often located itself in the Onion-bed in order to 
escape the vigilance of the weed-puller, its in- 

295 



BY WAY OF 



stinct telling it that its resemblance to the Onion 
would deceive the gardener! Is anyone foolish 
enough to believe that the weed knew just where 
to locate itself, and had the ability to put itself 
there? One can but laugh at such " scientific 
statements," and yet it seems too bad to have 
people humbugged so. 

A woman writes : " I don't care very much 
about plants. I never did. But almost every- 
body grows them, nowadays, and I'd like to have 
a few for my parlor, so as to be in style. You 
know the old saying that ' one might as well 
be out of the world as out of fashion.' I wish 
you'd tell me what to get, and how to take care 
of it. I want something that will just about take 
care of itself. I don't want anything I'll have 
to bother with." 

My advice to this correspondent was, " Don't 
try to grow plants.'^ 

The fact is, the person who doesn't grow them 
out of love for them will never succeed with them, 
therefore it would be well for such persons not to 
attempt their culture. This for the plant's sake, 
as well as their own. Plants call for something. 
Plants ask for something more than a regular 

S96 



POSTSCRIPT 



supply of food and water. They must have that 
sympathy, — that friendship — which enables one 
to understand them and their needs, and treat 
them accordingly. This knowledge will come 
through intuition and from keen, intelligent ob- 
servation, such as only a real plant-lover will be 
likely to give. Those who grow plants — or 
attempt to grow them — simply because their 
neighbors do so will never bring to their cultiva- 
tion that careful, conscientious attention which 
alone can result in success. The idea of growing 
a flower because " it is the fashion to do so! " 

^ 

It may seem to some who read what I have said 
above that I do not encourage the cultivation of 
flowers by the masses. That's a wrong conclu- 
sion to jump at. I would like to have everybody 
the owner of a flower-garden. Those who have 
never attempted the culture of flowers are very 
likely to develop a love for them of whose exist- 
ence, of the possibility of which, they had never 
dreamed. A dormant feeling is kindled into 
activity by our contact with them. But these 
persons must begin from a better motive than a 
desire to have them simply because it is " the 
style." The desire to succeed with them because 

297 



BY WAY OF 



you like them will insure success. Those who 

would have flowers because it is the fashion to 

have them may experience a sort of satisfaction 

in the possession of them, but this is a feeling 

utterly unlike the pleasure known to those who 

gTow flowers because they love them. 

***** 

I am not a believer in the " knack " of flower- 
growing in the sense that some are born with a 
special ability in that line, or, as some would say, 
with a gift that way. We often hear it said, 
" Flowers will grow for her if she just looks at 
them." This is a wrong conclusion to arrive at 
in the cases of those who are successful with them. 
They do something more than simply " look " at 
their plants. They take intelligent care of them. 
Some may acquire this ability easier and sooner 
than others, but it is a " knack " that anyone 
may attain to who is willing to keep his eyes 
open, and reason from cause to eff*ect. Don't 
get the idea that success at plant-growing comes 
without observation, thought, and work. All 
the " knack " you need to have is a liking for 
flowers, and a desire to understand how you can 
best meet their special requirements. 

In other words, the mil to succeed will find out 

the *way to that result. 

***** 

^8 



POSTSCRIPT 



J ust now, while I am at work on the last pages 
of this book, comes an inquiry, which I answer 
here because the subject of it is one of general 
interest: "Every spring our Crimson Rambler 
Roses are infested with thousands of green plant- 
lice. The new shoots will be literally covered with 
them. And in fall the stalks of our Rudbeckia 
are as thickly covered with a red aphis, which 
makes it impossible for us to use it for cut-flower 
work. Is there a remedy for these troubles? " 

Yes. Nicoticide will rid the plants of their 
enemies if applied thoroughly, and persistently. 
One application may not accomplish the desired 
result, because of failure to reach all portions of 
the plant with it, but a second or a third appli- 
cation will do the work. 

♦ « « ♦ 4» 

By way of conclusion I want to xn*ge women 
with " nerves " to take the gardening treatment. 
Many housewives are martyrs to a prison-life. 
They are shut up in the house from year's end to 
year's end, away from pleasant sights, sounds, 
fresh air, and sunshine. If we can get such a 
woman into the garden for a half-hour each day, 
throughout the summer, we can make a new 
woman of her. Work among flowers, where the 
air is pure and sweet, and sunshine is a tonic, and 



BY WAY OF POSTSCmPT 



companionsliip is cheerful, will lift her out of her 
work and worry, and body and mind mil grow 
stronger, and new life, new health, new energy 
will come to her, and the cares and vexations that 
made life a burden, because of the nervous strain 
resulting from them, will " take wings and fly 
away." Garden-work is the best possible kind 
of medicine for overtaxed nerves. It makes 
worn-out women over into healthy, happy 
women. " I thank God, every day, for my gar- 
den," one of these women wrote me, not long 
ago. " It has given me back my health. It has 
made me feel that life is worth living, after all. 
I believe that I shall get so that I live in my gar- 
den most of the time. By that I mean that 
I shall be thinking about it and enjoying it, 
either in recollection or anticipation, when 
it is impossible for me to be actually in it. 
My mind will be there in winter, and I will be 
there in summer. Why — do you know, I did a 
good deal more housework last year than ever 
before, and I did it in order to find time to work 
among my flowers. Work in the garden made 
housework easier. Thank God for flowers, I 
say!" 

Yes — God be thanked for flowers! 



300 



A BOOK FOR THE HOME GARDENER 



Four Seasons in the 
Garden 

By EBEN E. REXFORD 

Author of **The Home Garden''^ 

Twenty-seven illustrations in tint. Colored frontispiece. Deco- 
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J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 

Publishers Philadelphia 



A BOOK FOR THE HOME-MAKER 



The Small Country Place 

By SAMUEL T. MAYNARD 

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Seventy-five illustrations from photographs, and nu- 
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J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 

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